Life After Death
by Joe's girl
Summary: Jack post S4. He has a new life. Can he find a new love? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

_"Life After Death" is my musing about what happens to Jack after he "dies" at the end of S4. The story is actually outlined in a few paragraphs in the epilogue of my story "The Storm". I liked the idea and decided to elaborate on it. I'm hoping others will like it, too._

_As always, I don't own any of the characters from 24. The characters particular to this story are mine, though, and I credit my overactive imagination with those. I just wish someone would start paying me for my overactive imagination!_

_If you read, I am begging and pleading with you to review. I've become a total review addict! I swear that I get back and stomach cramps and am totally depressed when a story or chapter doesn't get a lot of reviews and wouldn't you hate to have me in such a pathetic state so close to Christmas? _

**Life After Death**

Chapter 1:

If he lived to be a hundred, Jack would never forget the first time he laid eyes on Molly Anderson. He had never believed in love at first sight before, but now he understood what all of those poets and lyricists were writing about. She wasn't the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, although she was certainly very pretty; nor did she have the most incredible figure, but she definitely curved nicely in all the right places. Yet, there was something about this woman standing before him. It might have been her haunting green eyes or the warmth and sincerity of her smile. It might have been her pale blond hair. He wasn't sure. What he was sure of was that he wanted to get to know her better. At the same time, he knew that was impossible.

Jack Bauer was a man on the run. In fact, to all of the world, save Tony, Michelle, Chloe and President Palmer, Jack Bauer was dead and his ashes buried in LA next to those of his wife. His family mourned him: his daughter and son-in-law, his aging father… He knew that this had probably aged the Old Man another ten years and for that he felt guilty. Oh, just add that guilt and the guilt he felt over hurting his daughter and Kate and Audrey to the mountain of guilt he still carried around with him over Teri's murder. Once the weight of the guilt got so heavy, adding a little more couldn't really make it any worse. Jack had learned to live with it.

In truth, he hadn't had much time to dwell on that mountain of guilt which at times threatened to suffocate him. He spent the first few days after his escape from CTU just trying to get across the border into Canada without being noticed. He started out by hopping a freight train which took him to northern California. From there he hitched rides from truckers or walked the rest of the way until he reached British Columbia and then east into Alberta. Once he arrived there he needed to find work some place where they wouldn't ask a lot of questions. There was plenty of seasonal work available for ranch hands and Jack was good with horses. Teri's father owned a small ranch and Jack had helped out there for years. Even after her death Jack still helped his father-in-law and brothers-in-law when they needed an extra hand.

Jack liked working on the ranch. It was physical work and he was outside all day. By nightfall he fell into an exhausted sleep on a cot in the barn loft with the rest of the guys. The other hands were mostly younger than he and once it became clear that he wasn't interested in spending every payday with them in town at the bars and with the local whores, they pretty much left him to himself. Any free time Jack had he spent at the nearest library searching vital records databases. He needed to find a new identity for himself if he was going to build any kind of life. He was still young, just over 40, and couldn't spend the rest of his life living on the fake ID that Tony and Michelle had given him. He eventually found a death certificate on a child name Jeffrey McCarthy. The child's birthday was just a few months earlier than his own and he died short of his second birthday from meningitis. That was it. Jack had a new identity. He began the slow process of creating a life for Jeff McCarthy.

As winter approached, the seasonal ranch hands were let go. Jack decided to make his way east again toward Calgary. He had saved enough money working on the ranch to buy a beat up red pick up truck that had seen far better days. But it started when you turned the key and with a little work, he thought he could make due for a while. He found odd jobs and rooms to rent. It was hard to get any steady work when you suddenly had no work history or references and no permanent address.

One Sunday morning Jack ventured out of the room he was renting. It was April and the worst of the winter was over even in this part of Canada. The air was still cool, but the sky was clear and the sun bright. Jack went into a nearby coffee shop. He had done some maintenance work for them a month or so back and a couple of the girls that worked the counter had taken a shine to him. He stopped in to say hello, sat down at the deserted counter and ordered a cup of coffee.

"Hi, Jeff," a young girl said brightly. "You want anything to go with that coffee?"

"Just coffee this morning," he said, "I'm a little low on funds. Do you know anybody who's hiring?"

"Not off hand. Here's the 'help wanted' ads," she said handing him the Sunday paper. "Maybe you'll find something in here. There's always more work around when spring comes." The girl cut a large wedge of fresh apple pie and set it in front of him. "If you'll lift some heavy boxes down from the shelf in the kitchen, then this one's on the house," she explained.

Jack thanked her and assured her that he could move the boxes for her. He opened the employment section of the paper and spread it out on the counter in front of him. At the same time he sunk his fork into the pie and took a bite. The pie was still warm from the oven. Jack could taste the butter and the brown sugar and cinnamon. He was hungry and was tired of eating canned soups warmed over a burner in his room. The pie reminded him of home and Teri and so much that was behind him that he could never have again. He forced himself back into reality and started reading the job listings.

"What kinda job are you lookin' for, Jeff? Somethin' at a ranch?" asked Phyllis. Phyllis managed the coffee shop for the owner, who was her brother. She was pushing fifty and still desperately looking for a husband. She was convinced that "Mr. Right" would eventually come waltzing into the coffee shop and sweep her off her feet. In the meantime, she fussed over customers and fussed at the waitresses. She had a heart of gold and was pretty much loved by everyone in the small town. On top of that, she knew all of the gossip in a fifty mile radius. It came, she said, from keeping your mouth shut while the customers were talking. Sometimes they didn't even realize that you were there, she would tell anyone who would listen, and it was amazing all of the secrets they would let fly within her earshot.

"I prefer ranch work, Phyllis, but most of it is seasonal. I'd like something a little more steady," Jack told her as he looked back down at the paper. "Here's something. Somebody is looking for a 'ranch manager'. That sounds interesting."

"I'll bet that's old Ted Anderson," Phyllis said as she pushed a strand of dyed red hair behind her ear. The last woman Jack saw with hair that color was Raggedy Ann. "He owns a big ol' spread over on the old country road. That man's gotta have a pretty penny in the bank. I'll tell you, if he was a few years younger I might have to make him some of my famous apple pies and delivery them myself!"

"Do you know anything about the job?" Jack asked innocently knowing full well that Phyllis would have all of the details and was just dying to supply them.

"Ted's getting' up in years. I guess he can't manage the place by himself any more. And after the accident he had during the winter, he probably needs the help."

"What happened?"

"His horse slipped on some ice and the two of them ended up in a snow bank. The horse was fine, but Ted broke his leg in two places and dislocated his shoulder. He was lucky that he didn't have any internal injuries from what the nurses at the hospital said," Phyllis said nodding knowingly. "At his age, bones heal real slow. I guess he won't be up to all the work that comes in the spring."

"Doesn't he have any family to run the ranch?" Jack asked. He knew that most ranches stayed within families. One of the sons usually ran the ranch when his father got too old.

"Ted's got two boys and a girl. Ted, Jr. is an architect out in Toronto. Andy – his real name is Carter, that was his mother's maiden name, but everybody 'round here calls him 'Andy' - short for Anderson, anyway, Andy is a Civil Engineer, lives in Vancouver. I guess Ted drove those two boys so hard while they were kids that they never want to see a ranch again. And the girl, Molly, she's a nurse over at Union General Hospital.

"Now Molly, she was the apple of Ted's eye. He was real strict with those two boys and worked 'em like slaves, but not Molly. Ted never raised his voice to that girl; let her get away with anything. See, the boys are a lot older than Molly," Phyllis continued. "I guess she was one of those 'whoops' babies. You know, Ted and Mary weren't bein' too careful and next thing you know, Mary's pregnant. Sad though, Mary was in her forties by then. She had a lot of problems with the pregnancy. We all helped out. You know, took food over and helped with the cleanin'. Molly was born just fine, but Mary developed some kind of infection a week or so later. She was too busy taking care of Ted and the boys and a new baby to take care of herself. They said by the time Ted got her to go to the doctor, the infection was all through her blood. Maybe in one of those fancy city hospitals they could have done more for her, but out here we didn't have that kind of medicine, especially back then. The hospital is bigger and more modern now. I'm talkin' 30 years back and it was just a rinky-dink country hospital. Back then the vet hospital was probably better.

"So Mary died and Ted was left to finish raisin' the boys and Molly. Ted, Jr. left for college two or three years later. Andy went a couple years after that. Once they were gone, it was just Ted and Molly. She was just the sweetest little girl. You'd see Ted walking around town with her. You never saw a man so devoted to a little girl. He just idolized that child. She was kind of a wild teenage. I guess lotsa teenagers go through that stage. Like to drive her old Daddy crazy with worry, though. Then she went off to college and became a nurse. She met some doctor and was married to him for a while. I don't know much about that 'cause they didn't live 'round here. Nearly broke ol' Ted's heart having that girl livin' so far away from him. She eventually divorced him and moved back to town. Now she works over at Union General in Labor and Delivery. I know some of the girls that work there. They say she's just the best nurse. She takes special care of those new mothers and makes sure they aren't having any problems. I guess she doesn't want any of those babies to end up motherless like her."

The two girls behind the counter were thoroughly engrossed in Phyllis' story. They smiled and made quiet sympathetic noises and nodded all at the appropriate times. Jack, on the other hand, wasn't all that interested in the Anderson family history. He was, of course, sympathetic to a man who had lost his wife at an early age and had to raise children on his own, but right now he was far more interested in hearing about the ranch.

"So, Anderson has a big spread?" he asked trying to sound casual.

"Second or third largest cattle ranch in Calgary," Phyllis said nodding.

"What would he be like as a boss?"

"Ted's a hard-headed old Swede," Phyllis said, "but one of the nicest men I've ever met. Told ya, if he was a little younger I'd be interested in him. He'll be tough, but fair. And his bark is a whole lot worse than his bite."

"Maybe I'll call him," Jack mused.

Phyllis handed him a cell phone. "If ya want some privacy go in the back and talk."

"Thanks, Phyllis, I think I will," Jack said taking the newspaper with him.

Phyllis watched him go. _Nice ass,_ she thought. Jack was definitely on her radar screen. He was handsome and single – two of her prerequisites – but he lived in a room in a boarding house and worked odd jobs. He was certainly educated; she could tell that by the way he spoke. She also had seen him several times at the library with an armload of books about the American Civil War and World Wars I and II. It bothered her to death that she couldn't seem to find out anything about him. He never talked about himself or any family. No one seemed to know where he came from or why he was settling down in this godforsaken rural section of Canada. He was always so pleasant, but he never really smiled or seemed happy. _Oh, well,_ she thought, _if Ted gives him a job, at least he's got a stable income. _That would bring him up a rung or two on her husband-hunting ladder.

Jack spoke with Ted Anderson on the phone and arranged an interview for later that afternoon. This wasn't going to be easy. Jack had to convince Ted Anderson that he could manage a ranch without offering any references. He had gotten along well with the manager of the ranch he worked on in Alberta, but he was using a different name then and couldn't very well ask for a reference using the name "Jeff McCarthy." No, he was going to have to find a way to sell himself without providing any work history. Despite the long odds at getting this job, Jack tried to remain positive. He went back to his room at the boarding house and packed his meager possessions into his truck and headed out toward the Anderson ranch.

The ranch sat back off the road on a picture-perfect tract of land. Jack turned off the road and onto the long driveway. He marveled at the scenery on the way to the house. Banked snow still sat along both sides of the road, but past those white mounds, stretches of green grass was visible. Jack imagined how beautiful this must be when everything was green and the cattle were grazing in the pastures. He pulled his old truck up to the house and stepped out into the cool April afternoon. He had barely set a foot on the porch when the door opened.

"Mr. McCarthy?" the woman said. She looked to be about sixty and had light eyes and dark hair. It was a combination that gave her an exotic look.

"Yes, ma'am," Jack answered.

"I'm Lila Briggs, Mr. Anderson's housekeeper. He's in his study waiting for you. Let me take you there."

The woman led Jack through an entrance hall and living room and into a darkly paneled study. Ted Anderson sat on a big, soft-looking leather chair with his leg propped up on the matching ottoman.

"Mr. McCarthy's here," Lila informed him.

"Thank you, Lila," he boomed. Even sitting in a chair Jack could tell that Ted Anderson was a big man. He guessed that Anderson must be almost six-two or six-three and was broad across the shoulders. He had a thick shock of white hair and bright green eyes. Jack put his age at about the mid-seventies. He reached out to shake Jack's hand. His grip was strong and his hands calloused from so many years of hard work. "McCarthy," he boomed again. "So glad you could come out here on such short notice. Sorry that I can't get up. This damn bum leg has been keeping me in a chair much of the day. My daughter comes over as often as she can and she takes me for a drive so I don't go stir crazy inside these four walls. The doctor says I should be back on my feet and riding my horses again in another couple of months. He says I'm just impatient. I miss being in the saddle. Well enough about me. You didn't come out here to hear an old coot go on about himself. You came out here to see about a job."

"Yes, sir. I'm very interested in the ranch manager position."

"Good, because I'm interested in hiring someone. Tell me about your experience, McCarthy."

"I've worked on ranches since I was high school. At one time of another, I supposed I've done just about every job on the ranch," he told Anderson. That wasn't a lie. He had helped Teri's father since he was sixteen. "I've drifted a bit and I've had some other jobs, but right now I'd like to settle on a ranch and try and put some years in. I need some experience with the details of running a ranch. If the opportunity presents itself someday, I might like to buy my own little spread."

"That didn't really answer my question, son. Have you had any jobs in these parts?"

"No, Mr. Anderson. I'm new to the area."

"Where were you before this?"

"I worked a little in Alberta. Before that I was working in the U.S."

"You Canadian?"

"Yes, sir," Jack lied without flinching.

The conversation continued with Ted asking questions and Jack dodging them as best he could. Anderson sighed and changed positions in his chair with some difficulty. He was a coarse, straight-talking gentleman who finally looked at Jack and said, "Son, you haven't given me one straight answer since you got here. You walk in and tell me you want to manage my ranch but you don't have any references. I get the distinct feeling that you're hiding something from me or maybe you're running from something. Tell me why I should hire you."

"Sir, you're right. I am running. I'm running for a lot of reasons. Those reasons are personal and I don't want to explain. I need to start over. I assure you that I'm not in any trouble and I won't cause any trouble. If you want me to prove myself, I'll be happy to do that. Give me two months. If you'll give me the room and board, you don't have to pay me. At the end of the two months, if you're satisfied with my work, you can pay me the back pay and hire me on. If you're not happy, you tell me and I'll leave. No questions asked. Do we have a deal, sir?"

There was something about Jack that Ted Anderson liked. "How can I pass up that deal, Mr. McCarthy?" Ted reached out his hand to shake Jack's. "The room's in the barn loft. You get the room on the right with the attached bathroom. The other two hands, Dylan and Kurt, share the room in the back. Don't let them tell you otherwise. Come back tomorrow morning around 8 o'clock ready to work."

"If you don't mind, sir, I'm ready to move in now. I have all of my things with me in the truck."

"Okay," Ted said sounding surprised. "I guess you were pretty sure you'd get the job."

"No, sir. I was renting a room by the week and my week was up. If you didn't make me an offer, I'd go back to the boarding house and hope that a room was still available."

"Head over to the barn. Kurt and Dylan should be around there somewhere. Get settled in. Lila will bring supper over for the three of you at 6 o'clock before she leaves for the day."

A voice in the doorway broke into their conversation. "Daddy, I hate to interrupt, but it's time for your medicine." The voice belonged to a pretty blond who Jack estimated to be in her early thirties. He knew instantly that this must be Molly Anderson.

"I hope those fool doctors know what they're doing feeding me all of these medicines," Anderson complained. "McCarthy, this is my daughter Mary Louise. She's a nurse over at the hospital and in her spare time she tries to mother me."

Jack extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Anderson." He was immediately struck by her smile and her eyes. Her handshake was firm but her touch was soft.

"Likewise, Mr. McCarthy," she said. "And everyone calls me Molly."

"I'm Jeff," he said. He locked onto her eyes and found it difficult to let go. Jack felt something stir in him that he hadn't felt in a long time. He allowed himself to enjoy the touch of Molly's hand.

"McCarthy's my new manager, at least on a trial basis," Ted told his daughter.

"That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. Her green eyes caught the waning afternoon light and Jack thought he could see them sparkle. "Daddy's been so worried about not being able to run the ranch himself that he's been driving Lila and me crazy. When can you start?"

"Right now," Jack replied. He felt himself smile. "I'm going over to the barn to settle in."

"I'll tell you what, give me a couple of minutes and I'll show you the way and introduce you to the other hands."

"That would be great," Jack told her, still unable to stop staring at her.

Molly showed Jack to his room. Actually it was a little apartment with a small kitchen and sitting room, a decent sized bedroom and an attached bath. "It's not much, but it's comfortable," Molly told him. "My brothers and I have all lived up here at one time or another. I used it when I was in college and I came home for the summer."

"It's great," Jack said. He liked the cozy space. It was far more than he had expected.

"Come down into the barn and I'll introduce you to the horses. There're a couple you can chose from." Molly trotted easily down the steps and into the barn. "This is Cleo," Molly told him as she petted a medium sized black mare. "She's mine. That's her son over there. I named him Caesar. He's a hellion! I've been trying to break him, but I'm not having a lot of luck. His father is headstrong, too, but this guy is impossible."

Jack listened to what Molly was saying but was more interested in the lilt in her voice as she said it. He followed her dutifully through the stable but the whole time he watched how her body moved, the back and forth swish of her hips. He was enchanted by this woman and he had no idea why. What he did know was that it had to stop. She was the daughter of the man who had just hired him on a trial basis. He couldn't allow himself to get involved with her. Considering his past, he really didn't feel that he should get involved with any woman.

Molly seemed oblivious to Jack's eyes on her. She continued down the line introducing him to the animals like they were members of the family. "This is Heidi," she said, "and this is her half-brother Tucker." Molly was pointing out two large strawberry-colored horses. "Heidi has a wonderful disposition. If I was going to pick out another horse for myself, it would be Heidi. You might want to ride her and see if you like her."

"I'll do that," Jack said unable to make his mouth form a more intelligent sentence. He petted Heidi's nose. "After I settle in I think I'll take her for a ride around the property." Jack thanked Molly for her help and watched her leave. He shook his head as if to break the spell that she seemed to have over him. Heidi whinnied and nuzzled his hand. He turned and smiled at her. "Okay, I understand, girl. You want to get out for a while. Let me get my things and we'll take a look around."

Jack retrieved his truck from in front of the house and moved it to the side of the barn. It took him less than fifteen minutes to move his few possessions into the apartment. Another half hour and he was riding Heidi across the wide expanse of the ranch. He loved it. The late afternoon air was crisp and the sky was blue with a few wispy clouds occasionally dulling the glare of the sun. Molly was right; Heidi had a wonderful disposition and she immediately took a liking to Jack. She carried him gracefully across the pastures and down the unpaved road that wound around the ranch.

He eventually dismounted and was walking her back to the barn. Molly came out of the barn with Caesar was on a lead and quite obviously unhappy about it.

"Did you have a nice ride?" she asked.

"It was great. Your father has a beautiful place here."

"I'm glad you like it," Molly replied. "I'm going to go work with Caesar for a while."

"Be careful with him, he doesn't look happy," Jack told her.

"He's not happy, but he'll get used to it." Molly smiled as she walked away.

Jack watched her still not sure what it was about her that he found so bewitching. He took Heidi into the barn and gave her water. While she was drinking, Jack stood at the door of the barn and watched Molly with Caesar. She had taken him to a fenced enclosure 30 or 40 yards from the barn where she now stood petting his nose and talking quietly to him. Little by little she eased a saddle onto his back but not without his putting up a fight. Then she started leading Caesar around the enclosure. Jack was impressed with the ease with which Molly handled the difficult animal. He turned his attention back to Heidi, who he already considered "his horse". She pushed him lightly with her nose as if to tell him that she still needed to be brushed. He smiled and scratched her ear as he took her back into the barn to brush her.

Jack ran the brush over and over through Heidi's soft coat. He was reveling in his good fortune. He already loved this place: the scenery, the people, the horses. This was going to work out for the best; he could just feel it. Jack's thoughts were soaring when they were interrupted by a scream. The voice belonged to Molly. He dropped the brush and ran from the barn.

"Molly!" he shouted. He ran toward the enclosure where she was walking Caesar. The horse was rearing wildly and, as Jack got closer he could see that Molly was on the ground near the fence. "Molly!" he shouted again hoping for a response.

He reached the fence and in one swift move put both hands on the top of the split rail and vaulted over it. His movements further angered the horse who was kicking his front hooves high in the air. Jack grabbed one of the reins and pulled it sharply. It took him a moment but he was able to get the horse under control and tied to a fencepost.

By the time Caesar was settled, Molly was sitting up against the fence. "Hey, are you alright?" Jack asked dropping down to his knees next to her.

"I think my pride is bruised a whole lot worse than any of my body is," she said wryly as Jack helped her up. She felt her face flush red. It was the truth; her pride really was hurt a whole lot worse than her body. She was embarrassed to have been thrown so easily by a colt. Worse than that it had happened in front of someone she didn't even know; someone she had just met a few hours earlier but felt this strange need to impress. "He's a lot stronger than I expected."

"Did you hit your head? Are you sure you're okay?" Jack continued to be concerned. He wasn't sure why he was so connected to Molly after just meeting her, but he already knew that he was afraid of losing her.

"I'm okay, Jeff. Really," she said assuredly. "Thanks for your help. I'm not sure how I would have gotten him under control. I think tonight's session is over. I'll take him back to the barn."

"No," Jack said. "If you stop now, he'll have won. He needs to know that he's not in charge. Right now he knows that he's calling all the shots. Give me some time with him so he learns that what he did isn't acceptable."

"Help yourself," she said with a shrug that was deliberately placed to suggest indifference. In truth, she wasn't indifferent at all. She wasn't sure what she was except confused.

Two years ago, as her divorce was finalized, Molly had sworn off men. She decided then and there that no other man was ever going to have the chance to make a fool of her the way Zach had. She had made good on her promise. The only man she had answered to in those two years had been her father. Several men had asked her out but she had politely turned them down. More recently, no one had asked. She assumed that the word that Molly Anderson wasn't interested in a relationship had gotten out. Her father told her she was being foolish. "Molly," he would say, "not every man is out to hurt you. Just because Zach did, doesn't mean that you should write off all men. There are lots of good men out there, Molly. You made one mistake. Don't pay for it for the rest of your life."

Now as she watched Jeff McCarthy walk slowly toward Caesar and untie his reins, she wondered what it was about this man that was attracting her attention. The reason Caesar had been able to throw her so easily was that she wasn't concentrating on him. She was thinking about this handsome stranger who had just appeared and, for some odd reason, had taken her breath away. She was wondering if he had noticed her, too.

_This is crazy,_ she thought, _I know nothing about this guy. _It was true. Even her father admitted that he was taking a chance on McCarthy but felt that he didn't have a lot to lose. He would keep a close eye on the man and hope that everything worked out. If McCarthy stepped out of line even once, Ted Anderson had told his daughter, he would fire him immediately. Ted tended to trust his instinct, and his initial impression of Jeff McCarthy was that, although he would not tell Ted about his past, he was not really misrepresenting himself. He just had a past that he wanted to forget. A man should have that right, Ted told Molly. We've all made mistakes, some bigger than others. If he just needs to start over, this is as good a place as any.

Molly sat balanced on the split rail fence watching this blond, blue-eyed ball of energy that had just walked into her life. _He certainly knows how to handle a horse,_ she thought as she watched him trying to tame Caesar. He had managed to get onto Caesar's back twice now. Each time he held his position for a minute or two while Caesar tried everything he knew to get rid of this nuisance that was perched on his back. Then he would dismount and give Caesar some time to relax. He never took his eyes off of the horse and Molly never took her eyes off of him. What had this man done to her? She had never felt this way before. It was as if Jeff McCarthy had reduced her to jelly. Even Zach hadn't done that to her and she had loved him more than she thought possible. _This has to stop,_ she thought as Jeff finished the session and brought Caesar back to her. But in the same breath she realized that she could barely speak when he handed her the reins.

Jack's first two months on Ted Anderson's ranch passed quickly. Before he knew it, it was June and the busy summer season was in full swing. Ted was now making his way slowly around the ranch with the help of a cane. He had tried riding his horse, Big Jake, but found that it was too hard to get onto the large animal. Jack suggested that he ride Caesar who was smaller and who, with patience, he had been able to turn into a good riding horse.

"I've got to hand it to you," Ted told him. "Not long after Caesar was born I told Molly that he would never be any good for riding. He has a wild streak like his father. But you proved me wrong and I'm a pretty good judge of horses." Ted handed Jack an envelope. "This is your first two months of pay. You'll find a small bonus in there as well. You're working out far better than I every expected. I'm glad I took a chance on you. It was one of the smartest moves I've ever made."

"Thank you, sir," Jack replied as he took the envelope. "I appreciate your confidence in me."

"What I want to know," Ted pondered, his green eyes meeting Jack's blue ones, "is how a CIA agent born and raised in southern California ever learned so much about horses and running a ranch, Jack."


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the great reviews! Jack fanfics don't always go over real well, but I was really happy with the response to this one. I also want to send out a special "Thank you" to AlmeidaFluff. She read chapter one a couple of weeks ago as a favor to me and encouraged me to post it when I wasn't sure it was worth it! Thanks Fluff!_

Chapter 2

Jack stood stock still, his breath caught in his throat. Of course he had always known that this moment could come, but it still was a shock when it happened. How it happened was even more of a shock. He had imagined that he would be approached by a Canadian official, accompanied by an American agent, who would flash a badge and matter-of-factly tell him that the game was over. The other possibility that had crossed his mind was that President Logan would have Secret Service track him down and kill him. If that happened, they wouldn't take the time to announce themselves; they would just put two bullets in the back of his head.

His first thought was to act as if he had no idea what Ted was talking about, but deep down he knew that was pointless. He let his eyes go closed for a moment. "How did you figure it out?" he asked no longer able to meet Ted's gaze.

"I didn't until just yesterday, but I knew from the moment I met you that I had seen you somewhere before. I just wasn't sure where. At some point I decided that I'd seen your picture in the newspaper. I was born in southern California and I lived there until I was almost 15 years old, so I'm still very attached to the region. I've been reading the Los Angeles Times on line as long as it had been available. It eventually dawned on me that I had seen your picture in the Times and that it had been several years back when David Palmer was running for President and was nearly assassinated in LA. I went back to the archives and looked for the stories related to that day and, sure enough, I found your picture. It was a little grainy and you were a little younger, but I knew it was you. Then I started searching under your name and found an obituary from last year. It said that you were killed in the line of duty. Obviously someone was mistaken because from what I can tell, Jack, you are very much alive."

Jack heard what Ted was saying but he wasn't really paying attention; his mind was reeling. "Have you alerted the authorities yet?" By asking that, Jack was not only considering his own future, but those of Tony, Michelle and Chloe as well. They were all accessories in his escape and if he was turned in, they would be implicated, too. He had to warn them so they, too, had a chance to escape.

"No and I don't intend to," Ted told him.

"What?" Jack looked at Ted unable to believe what he was hearing.

"For whatever reason, you want the world to think Jack Bauer is dead. Now I can guess at those reasons all day, but the truth is, it's none of my business. What's more important to me right now is that you are the best damn ranch manager a man could want. I'd be a fool to turn you in and lose you."

Jack finally met Ted's gaze again. He exhaled softly and closed his eyes against the memory of all that had happened that day. He knew that he didn't need to explain; Ted wasn't going to ask any questions, but he felt that he needed to. "We were tracking a terrorist and we had information on someone who could lead us to him. I got orders from the White House for a covert mission to grab the informant. One of my men was recognized and he eventually was either threatened or tortured and he gave my name as the mission leader. The mission was illegal. I knew that when I took the order. The White House had to deny any knowledge of it."

"They were going to hung you out to dry," Ted said filling in what Jack was unwilling to say.

Jack nodded. "I could almost accept that but then I was warned that the government wanted me dead so I couldn't give up any information on the mission. I decided that I wasn't going to give them that chance. I staged my own death and took off."

"You didn't do it alone, did you? You had to have help."

"Some very good friends helped me. I'm not worried about myself, but I don't ever want them to have to pay for helping me," Jack told him. "I appreciate you keeping this quiet. Not so much for my sake, but for theirs."

Ted smiled. "I told you, I'd be a fool to turn you in. You run this place like you've done it all your life. On top of that," Ted added in a milder, more sentimental tone, "you're giving me a second chance. You see, I wanted my own sons to love ranching. I wanted them to stay here and love the horses and the cattle and the clear air and the blue sky as much as I do. What I didn't realize is that you either love those things or you don't and no one can force you to love them. Ted, Jr. and Andy are more like their mother. Mary tolerated living out here and playing second fiddle to a bunch of cows, but she never really loved it. I thought by making the boys work hard and see what the land could produce that they would eventually learn to love it, but what I really did was push them away. You, Jeff, you're different. You love this place just like I do, just like Molly does. Molly might live and work in town, but her heart is right here on this ranch. I could never turn you in, you've become too much like a son to me. And if I did," Ted said with his eyebrows slightly raised, "Molly would never forgive me."

"Molly?" Jack asked raising his eyes a bit.

"Oh come now, Jeff. I'm old but I'm not senile. I see the way she looks at you and I've seen how you look at her. What's wrong with you two? Admit that you care for each other. I know her problem. That damn ex-husband of hers broke her heart. Now she's afraid to let anyone have a piece of her heart. So what's your excuse?"

Jack looked down and smiled. "Molly is so special to me, Ted. That's why I won't let myself get close to her. Women who are close to me have a way of getting hurt. I don't want that to happen to Molly."

Ted's tone was soft and gentle. "You're talking about your wife? I read about her murder in the Times. I'm sorry. That must have been terrible for you and your daughter."

"Teri died because of who I was and what I did for a living. A few years after she was killed, I let myself fall in love again, twice, in fact, both times to wonderful women. And both times I ended up hurting them. Somehow, my job, who I was, got in the way. I don't want to do that to Molly. She's been hurt enough."

"Your life is different now. You're a different person. You're thousands of miles away from LA and from Washington. That's the beauty of this place; it's forgiving. It let's guys like you, and like me, start over."

Jack nodded but wasn't convinced. "I'd rather you didn't tell Molly about my past. If you want her to know, I'll tell her."

"I have no intention of telling her. If you ever feel that she has to know, you can tell her. As far as I'm concerned, you and I are the only ones who ever have to know."

"Thanks, Ted. I appreciate this. If you ever decide that it's too much of a risk for me to stay here, just say the word and I'll disappear." He reached out and shook Ted's hand. "You know, it's almost a relief that someone knows. If someone had to figure it out, I'm glad that it was you."

Jack turned and walked silently into the barn and up to his apartment. His mind was racing and he needed to take some time and think. He dropped the envelope that Ted had given him on the kitchen counter and continued on to his bedroom. He dropped onto the bed as if too exhausted to stand up any more.

Ted's revelation had stunned Jack. He wasn't sure what to do next. He trusted Ted not to tell anyone, but at the same time, he wondered if he should stay. If Ted figured it out, someone else could, too and they might not be as willing to ignore Jack's past as Ted was. Of course, Ted's ties to southern California were what led him to the discovery. Not many other people in the area had similar reason to look into his background. Jack knew that the right thing for him to do right now was to leave. Intellectually he knew that for his own safety, for Tony's and Michelle's and Chloe's safety, he should leave. He should move on, maybe to some place even more rural than this where he was less likely to run into someone who would discover his identity. Or maybe he should go to a city where he could melt into the background and not be noticed.

While Jack knew that was what he should do, he also knew that he couldn't leave. He had only been on the ranch for two months, but Ted was right, he loved it. He loved the hard, physical work out of doors where he could enjoy the sun and the wind and where he could spend much of his day on the back of a horse. At night he would collapse into his thick, soft bed, spent from the day's work, but feeling fulfilled and happy. He also loved his relationship with Ted. Jack and his father had never seen eye to eye. Oh, he loved the Old Man, but they didn't get along all that well. He and Ted had so much more in common. Ted was right; they had very much a father-son relationship that Jack had never had with his own father. Yes, he loved the ranch and his relationship with Ted, but most of all he loved Molly.

He finally admitted it to himself: he loved Molly. He tried hard to hide it, but obviously Ted had noticed. Jack and Molly had become good friends and he wanted it to stay that way. They rode horses together and watched hockey games in Ted's family room. Molly, having grown up with two brothers and a father in the house, was a student of the game. They would have a couple of beers and argue over strategy and love every minute of it. Jack was sure that Ted was wrong about Molly's feelings for him. She had never given him any indication that she cared for him as anything more than a friend. They never went out on a date, unless, of course, you counted stopping at the coffee shop when they made a trip to the feed and grain store. No, Ted was wrong, Jack decided. The man knew horses and he had figured out who Jack was, but he didn't know his daughter as well as he thought he did.

Jack's decision was made. He couldn't leave. He had really never been as happy as he was right now. Just a few weeks earlier as he was falling asleep one night, it dawned on him that he no longer had the heart-wrenching thoughts of Teri that had haunted him for years. When he thought of her, it was of happy times, of her smile or her laugh. It didn't hurt so much any more. As for Molly, he would just have to continue to love her at a distance. It wasn't what he wanted, but it was what was best for her. He knew his heart would be shattered into a million pieces if she fell in love with someone else but it was a chance he had to take. Better that he was hurt than that he hurt her.

The solstice came and brought with it a beautiful Canadian summer. It wasn't the blazing hot, disgustingly humid summers that Jack was used to in LA and in Washington. No, the temperatures were mild, with the evenings cool enough to require a light blanket on the bed. Daylight hours were long and there was a lot of work to do. Jack was busy from sun up to sundown and he was enjoying every minute of it. His hair was bleached pale blond from the sun and his skin had a soft, golden tan. Hours of physical work every day had honed his already well-muscled body to an even greater degree. He was in better shape than he had ever been and had never felt better.

If he had one lament, it was that all of the work and the end of the hockey season had cut into his time with Molly. She stopped by the ranch a couple of times a week to see her father and tend to her horse, and she did go riding with Jack occasionally, but he missed spending time with her. The two weeks she was gone on vacation with some college friends were interminable for Jack. But over all, the summer was too busy for Jack to think much about his relationship with Molly.

Summer came to a close and brought with it cooler temperatures but, early on, no let up in the workload. Jack watched the changing leaves sure in the notion that he had never seen a prettier sight. By late October the snowflakes were already flying and they were making preparations for winter. Dylan and Kurt, the two seasonal ranch hands, were let go for the winter so Jack was the lone inhabitant in the barn loft. He liked the peacefulness. It was so quiet that he could hear a horse whinny in the barn below and know by the voice exactly which horse it was.

Hockey season restarted and Jack's ritual of watching the games with Ted resumed. Molly came over regularly to watch and they once again found their comfort zone. The friendly but distant relationship they had started months earlier that had waned just a bit over the summer, picked up where it left off. They had good natured arguments over the decisions of the coaches and the referees and placed friendly bets on the outcomes of games. When Jack lost the bet over the final score of a Vancouver-New York game, be had to change the oil in Molly's SUV. A few days later Molly lost a bet that resulted in her having to saddle soap all of the tack for Jack's horse. Ted looked on with amusement, wondering how long this could go on without one of them confessing their feelings.

A thick snow blanketed the region in early November and temperatures dropped well below freezing. Ted, remembering his injuries from the winter past and not wanting to repeat them, spent less time outside and let Jack maintain the animals and the property. Again, Jack found the work to his liking. Up until his "death" he had always managed people and his success had been dependent not solely on himself, but on the work of others. He now found himself in the opposite position. He held his own destiny in his hands. It was a liberating feeling for him. He rarely thought of or missed his old life. He missed Kim and wondered how she was doing, but otherwise, he didn't miss any of it. No bullets had whizzed past his head now in over a year and the last time he fired a gun, it was into the air to scare off a bear that had wandered out of the woods and onto Ted's property.

It was late one bitterly cold afternoon when Jack, as had become his routine, stopped by the ranch house to drop off Ted's mail and see if he needed anything. Long shadows preceded him up the steps to the porch. He knocked lightly and entered via the kitchen door.

"Hey, Miss Lila," he called.

"Hey yourself, Jeff," she answered.

"Smells good in here," he told her. The kitchen was filled with the aroma of fresh baked bread. Steam rose from a pot on the stove.

"Beef barley soup and my seven grain bread," she said.

"Lila's the best cook in these parts," Ted said coming into the kitchen. "Why don't you stay for dinner? There's a hockey game tonight; Edmonton Oilers but I forget who they're playing. Stay for dinner and we'll watch the game."

"Thanks, Ted, but I think I'll pass. I still have some work to do in the barn and when I'm finished I think I'll just stay inside. It's too cold to make any more trips outside."

"Stay here tonight, Jeff. That old barn is too drafty on a night like this," Ted offered.

"Actually, with the wood stove, my apartment stays nice and warm. Thanks for the offer, but I think I might just watch some of the game and then turn in early."

"Let me at least send some dinner with you, Jeff," Lila said. "You need something warm on a night like this." Lila bustled about the kitchen putting a generous helping of soup in a container and wrapping up half a loaf of bread for Jack to take with him.

Jack walked briskly back to the barn and started into his work. The sun was just setting and the sky was filled with steely gray clouds banked high into the heavens. _More snow on the way_, Jack thought. He watched the clouds for a moment when headlights coming up the drive caught his attention. It was Molly's SUV. He waved and she turned left toward the barn, instead of going toward the house.

"Hey, Jeff," Molly called through her open window. "It's freezing out here. I hope you're almost finished."

"Couple more minutes and then I'm going upstairs for the night," Jack told her.

"Aren't you coming over to watch the hockey game with Dad?"

"Not tonight, it's too cold. I think I'm going to stay in."

"I understand," she nodded. "I'm not staying either. I told Dad that I'd come for dinner but afterward I'm going to head home." Molly had an apartment in town near the hospital. "Maybe we can catch a game this weekend. I need to win back a couple of bets from you."

"That's right," Jack laughed. "As I recall, you still owe me a batch of chocolate chip cookies."

Molly laughed, too. Jack couldn't help but notice how her eyes lit up when she laughed. "Oh, I was hoping that you'd forget that!" Molly said. "Guess I better go before you remember more bets that I haven't paid up." Molly put her SUV in gear and pulled it toward the house.

Jack watched her go and then made his way back into the barn. He finished his work and headed up to his apartment. He stoked the fire in the wood stove, ate dinner and finally stretched out on the couch to watch the hockey game. It was just a few minutes before game time when he heard Molly downstairs in the barn.

"Jeff," she called.

"Yeah," he called back walking from his apartment and leaning against the railing that surrounded the barn loft. "What have you got there?"

"I brought you some extra blankets. Dad is concerned that you're going to be cold out here tonight," she said as she started up the stairs to him.

"Thanks," he said taking the blankets from her. "I'll be fine," he assured her. "I was just going to sit down and watch the game. Want to stay for a little while? It's your favorite team, the Oilers. I was going to make some Irish coffee."

"Now that's an offer I can't pass up," Molly said following him into the apartment.

"Sit down, I'll get the coffee started," Jack told Molly.

Molly casually sat down and flipped the television on with the remote control as if it was something that she did every day. Inside, she was a nervous wreck and she could barely keep her hands from shaking. Jack had never invited her into his apartment before. _Maybe I'm reading too much into this, _she thought. She had convinced herself that he saw her as "one of the guys" and that he had no interest in her as a woman. Molly decided to break the awkward silence. "The Oilers should win this game," she said. "New Jersey isn't playing that well this season."

"Neither are the Oilers," Jack retorted knowing that Molly would immediately defend her favorite team. "That new goalie for New Jersey has had some great saves in the last few games." Jack poured two cups of coffee, added a shot of whiskey and topped them off with whipped cream.

"Ooh, looks good. Thank you," Molly said taking the cup from him.

The two settled back and watched the game. The Oilers scored two goals in the first period and Molly was feeling pretty smug. "New Jersey's goalie looks great, Jeff. He's just stopping goals right and left!"

"Oh you just wait! New Jersey's going to come back and win this game."

"I suppose you want to bet on this," Molly said.

"As a matter of fact, I would like to place a little bet." Jack took a drink of his Irish coffee. He had made it a little stronger than he had intended and was beginning to feel the effects of the whiskey. He could tell by the way Molly was laughing that she was feeling it, too.

"Okay," Molly said. "If the Oilers win, I don't have to make you that batch of cookies."

"No, no, no," Jack teased. "We agreed last season, you can never make a bet that wipes out a bet that hasn't been paid."

"Alright," Molly agreed. "Cleo needs new shoes. If the Oilers win, you take her to get shod."

"Deal," Jack said.

"What happens if New Jersey wins?" Molly asked. He was sitting closer to her than he usually did and she felt a little flushed. She told herself that the apartment was just hot from the wood stove, but she knew that wasn't the case.

"Well, let's see," Jack said pondering the possibilities and enjoying the buzz he felt from the drink. "If New Jersey wins," he said moving closer to her, "I get to kiss you." He couldn't believe that he had just said that. He had been thinking it for months, but had never even considered saying it.

Molly's heart was pounding in her throat but she pretended to be nonplussed. "Jeff, if you want to kiss me, maybe you should just do it and not worry about the outcome of the game."

"And what would happen if I did that?" he asked in a hushed voice, his face moving closer to hers.

"You'll have to take your chances," Molly returned coyly.

Jack hesitated for a moment before leaning forward toward Molly. He closed his eyes and allowed his lips to find hers. He could taste the mix of coffee and whiskey on her mouth and relished the warmth of her closeness. He withdrew slightly and slowly opened his eyes fearing that Molly might not have enjoyed the kiss as much as he had. But she had. She gazed at him; her lips slightly parted and then leaned into him for another kiss. This kiss was far more passionate than the first. Jack teased Molly's lips further apart with his tongue. Their arms encircled each other's body while quiet groans escaped from their mouths. The hockey game continued unnoticed while they kissed. Jack gently pushed Molly back onto a pillow on the arm of the sofa. He was excited to feel her pulling him down on top of her.

It was all moving so fast and Jack knew that he should stop them, but he couldn't. He had wanted Molly for so long that he had stopped thinking rationally. All he could think about was how good it felt to hold her, how good it felt to touch her, how good it felt to kiss her lips and have those kisses returned so fervently. He slid his hands down her back and was able to slip them under her sweater. She shuddered as he ran his hands along her bare back and she pushed her body up against his fueling his excitement. Spurred on by her reaction, Jack brought his hands around to her stomach to caress the soft skin. Molly reached under the sweater and covered his hands with her own and then directed them carefully to her breasts.

"Molly, we shouldn't be doing this," Jack whispered, all the while hoping that she could give him a good reason to continue.

"Why not?" Molly asked. "Jeff, I've wanted you almost since the moment I first met you," she said breathlessly. "I never thought you noticed me. You've always treated me like one of the guys. I wasn't sure that you realized that I was a woman."

"Believe me," he said with a soft smile. "I noticed. I've wanted you, too, but …"

"No 'buts', Jeff. We're not children. We're consenting adults who care about each other, who need each other. We both know what's at stake here and I'm willing to take that chance. Are you?"

Jack stared at her for a moment and then launched into another flurry of kisses. Whether due to alcohol or hormones, his inhibitions had disappeared. He reached around to Molly's back and opened her bra and pushed his hands underneath it cupping each breast in one of his hands. Molly groaned his name. She reached for the bottom of the sweater and pulled it up so that her breasts were exposed.

"Beautiful," Jack whispered almost imperceptibly as he dropped his head and began to kiss and suck each one in turn and then eased the sweater off over her head. He sat up so that he could look at Molly's half naked body. "You're just as beautiful as I imagined.

Molly smiled and reached up to begin unbuttoning Jack's shirt. He found her style exciting. She didn't act the shy, unassuming virgin when they both knew that she wasn't, but by the same token, she wasn't being overly aggressive either. He fondled her breasts as she unbuttoned his shirt and helped him take it off.

"How am I supposed to keep my mind on getting you undressed if you keep doing that?" she asked teasingly.

"You want me to stop?" Jack asked in return smiling softly.

Molly liked his smile. It was one of the few times she had seen him look really at ease. He had let his guard down completely; he wasn't hiding anything. His mind was fully focused on her and on his own pleasure. For whatever reason he had built a twelve-foot-high wall around himself, but right now he allowed it to cave in and it gave Molly a full view of his soul. She liked what she was seeing.

Molly laughed and sat up. She pressed her palms on Jack's shoulders and pushed him playfully onto his back. The move took him by surprise, but he recovered quickly enough to grab her waist and pull her down on top of him. A new flurry of kisses started but this time Molly was in control. They kissed for a long time before she began to move down to his neck and chest. Slowly she made her way across his stomach. Her hand drifted easily to his belt buckle and she opened it. His jeans were next. Molly unsnapped and unzipped them and Jack groaned in anticipation of whatever it was she had in mind.

Soon his pants and boxer shorts were pushed part way down and Molly had him in her mouth. Jack alternately tensed and relaxed his stomach muscles gently thrusting against her. The sensation was unbelievable. It had been well over a year since he had been with a woman. And although he thought about sex as often as any other health male, he seemed to have forgotten how really good it could feel. He closed his eyes and reveled in the feeling, the warm wetness of Molly's mouth, the sensation of her tongue against him, the slight pressure of her sucking. He was close to climaxing, but he didn't want it to happen yet. Not here, not on the sofa.

Jack caressed Molly's face and lifted her head away from him. "Stop, Baby," he whispered. "Let's move to the bedroom. It'll be more comfortable."

Molly didn't need to be coaxed. She stood up and as she did, Jack started taking her pants off. Finally completely undressed, the two found their way into the bedroom and onto the bed where they sunk into the thick, down comforter. Neither hesitated and there was no shyness as they became one, bodies and souls united. They panted and gasped and cried out in pleasure. Their love complete, they drifted off to sleep peacefully wrapped in each other's arms.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi and thanks to those of you who have read and reviewed. This story is getting a lot of "hits" but not many reviews and I'm not sure why. I really do appreciate reviews both good and bad. (I do ask that you are at least nice about bad reviews.) If there is something you don't like about the story, let me know. It helps to hear everyone's opinion._

Chapter 3

Christmas was just days away and Jack was hanging a huge fresh pine wreath on the barn door. If it were up to him, Christmas would come and go without much notice, but Ted was full of Christmas spirit. His two sons and their families were all coming in on the twenty-third. It was the first time all of his family would be home together for Christmas in several years and he couldn't have been happier.

"Looks good, Jeff," Ted called giving his approval to the height and position of the wreath.

Jack got down from the ladder and took it back into the barn without really acknowledging Ted's compliment. Ted followed him into the barn. An old sleigh sat near the back. Jack had helped Ted get it down from a storage area in the barn's loft and had proceeded to make it look like new. The leather seats were saddle soaped and the runners polished glossy. Ted could hardly wait to see his five grandchildren riding in it with his two biggest horses pulling them.

"There used to be a set of big brass jingle bells that attached to the harnesses. I wish I knew where they were," Ted lamented.

"I saw them in the storage room," Jack told him.

"Great! Bring them down. I'll have Lila polish them," Ted said clearly pleased that the bells weren't lost. Ted paced the barn while Jack went up to the storage room. He was too excited to stand still. Jack was amused to see the 73 year old man acting like a child. "This is going to be a wonderful Christmas. I can't wait to see everybody. I don't get to see much of the grandkids; they live too far away. Molly's planning a real feast for Christmas dinner, why don't you come and join us? You'll get along fine with the boys and their wives."

Jack got down from the pull down ladder that led to the storage room and handed Ted the coil of bells attached to a red leather harness. "Thanks for the offer, Ted," Jack said shaking his head, "I think I'll just hang around my place."

"I'll be damned if I can figure you or my daughter out. The two of you have been moping around here and avoiding each other like the plague for the last few weeks. What in hell is going on? I thought you two finally came to your senses when I saw Molly's car near the barn at four o'clock in the morning a few weeks back. I was pretty sure that you weren't watching a hockey game at that hour."

Jack couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes. He had no idea that Ted knew that he and Molly had spent that night together. He reddened and looked away.

"It was a cold night and my arthritis was acting up," Ted explained knowing that he had taken Jack by surprise. "I got up to take some pain medicine. The moon was full and the reflection off Molly's car caught my eye. Otherwise I wouldn't have known."

"I'm sorry, Ted. That was entirely my fault. I shouldn't have allowed it to happen."

"I doubt that it was _entirely _your fault. I think Molly was probably a willing participant. I know my daughter. If you were forcing yourself on her, she would have put up one hell of a fight and you would have ended up with at least a black eye," Ted smiled. He seemed amused by the whole situation. "I'm not upset about it if that's what you think. You're not exactly teenagers. And, believe it or not, I was your age once. I remember what it was like to be young and in love. Don't try and deny that you're in love. What I don't understand is what happened. You're both obviously unhappy without each other, so why don't you get back together?"

"Molly deserves better," Jack said succinctly. "I won't let her waste her life on me."

"Isn't that her decision? Personally, I think Molly would be lucky to have you. She was married to a doctor and as far as I was concerned he was a bum. He may have had lots of degrees and letters after his name and _he_ thought that he was important, but he never really loved Molly. That's the important thing. It isn't how well educated you are or what you do for a living. It's how much you can love someone other than yourself. Zach loved himself plenty, but he didn't know how to love anyone else. He broke Molly's heart. When you showed up and I realized how you two felt about each other, I was so hopeful that Molly would let herself fall in love. You know how to love, I can tell. I wish that you'd allow yourself to love Molly."

"My God, Ted! I love her with all my heart, but I can't offer her anything else. I live in an apartment over a barn and I never know from day to day if someone is going to recognize me and I'm going to end up in a jail back in the States or even dead. I won't have Molly living that way."

"You're living in them middle of nowhere, son, no one is going to recognize you. Tell Molly the truth and let her decide what's right for her."

"No, it's better this way. I know Molly. She'll say that none of that matters and that she just wants us to be together, but in the end she'll be hurt worse than she is right now. She'll get over this, Ted. If the Secret Service ever finds out where I am, they'll put two bullets in the back of my head and if Molly is close by she'll end up dead, too. I won't risk her life."

Ted wanted to argue. He wanted to tell Jack how ridiculous he sounded, but it wasn't worth the effort. If he knew one thing about Jack it was that he was bull-headed. Once his mind was made up, there was no changing it until he was ready.

"Suit yourself. Be unhappy at the happiest time of the year. I don't care of you want to mope around and be miserable. What I do care about is that my daughter is miserable and there is really no good reason for either of you to be unhappy," Ted didn't wait for a response. He turned and walked toward the house shaking his head.

Jack watched Ted go and then went upstairs to his apartment. He hated that Molly was so hurt. He wanted to go to her and take her in his arms. The memory of the night they shared was strong. If he closed his eyes he could almost feel her there with him. He could feel her warmth and softness and remember what it was like to wake up next to her. The memory would have to last a lifetime, because he had decided that it could never happen again.

Jack had awakened early that morning, his arms encircling Molly's naked body, and instantly regretted everything that had happened. It had been tender and beautiful and he had enjoyed every minute of it. Of course he had enjoyed the sex, but it wasn't just that; it was being so close to another human being, allowing himself to be vulnerable and letting his protective wall down if only for a few hours. Now it was over and Jack was angry at himself for allowing it to happen. He had promised himself that he wouldn't get intimate with Molly and now he had.

Molly began stretching and rolled over to face him. She smiled as she opened her eyes. "Good morning," she whispered and then kissed his lips softly. "What time is it?"

"It's almost 5:15," he whispered back.

"I've got to get out of here," Molly said with a sigh. "Dad's going to be awake soon and I really don't want him to see my car here." She sat up holding the sheet to her chest suddenly modest in front of a man for whom she had lifted her sweater and exposed her breasts less than six hours earlier.

"Stay there," Jack suggested. "I'll get your clothes." He grabbed a robe from a hook on the wall and padded out to retrieve Molly's clothes from in front of the television where he had carelessly discarded them as he stripped them from her body. He felt a stir of desire when he remembered undressing her. "Here they are," he said as he handed the clothes to Molly. "I'll close the door so you can have some privacy," he told her awkwardly.

Molly smiled. She felt the same awkwardness. It happened to all first time lovers but she assured herself that it was a phase that would pass quickly. The love they shared had been so intense and so real. She couldn't wait to be with this man again and she hoped that the "morning after" embarrassment would subside by then.

Jack paced the kitchen while Molly dressed. He didn't know how to tell her that their relationship couldn't continue. Molly interrupted his thoughts as she opened the bedroom door. He picked up her coat and helped her into it. "I hate that you have to go out into the cold. The sun isn't even up yet." He focused on buttoning her coat and made sure that he didn't look at her.

Molly touched his face gently. "I wish I didn't have to go. I could have stayed in bed with you all day, but for now I'd rather my father didn't know about this."

Jack nodded. "I think that's best."

Molly leaned in and kissed his lips. "I'm falling in love, Jeff."

Jack involuntarily returned the kiss. "I know. So am I," he admitted aloud knowing that he should have never said so but somehow unable to stop himself. He walked Molly out to her car and watched her go.

Walking back to the barn he felt a blanket of self-loathing descend upon him. He hated himself for what he had just done. He had satisfied his own carnal desires and at the same time gave Molly the hope that they had a future. She would be devastated when he told her that they didn't. He wondered what Molly would tell Ted and what his reaction would be. Would Ted turn him in at that point? Would he demand that Jack leave his property? Maybe he should beat Ted to the punch and just pack up and leave. It would be best for Molly, but he loved the ranch and he couldn't make himself leave unless Ted insisted. No, he would simply face whatever happened, he just hoped that it didn't come back to haunt Tony, Michelle and Chloe.

Jack talked to Molly at her apartment later that evening. He made every excuse that he could think of and took all of the blame. "I work for you father," he told her. "I shouldn't be involved with my boss' daughter." _That didn't seem to bother me when I was sleeping with Audrey,_ he reminded himself. "I'm not good enough for you. You don't know anything about me. You can do better than me."

Molly made no attempt to hide her tears. She countered every one of his arguments with one of her own but to no avail. In the end Jack kissed her forehead and told her that he would never stop loving her but that he had to go. As he closed the door behind him, he could hear her quiet sobs. He stood in the hall listening to her for a long time, not sure whether to run back in and take her in his arms or to leave the building. Torn by the decision, he went out into the cold night air and walked the streets of the little town for a long time.

Since then he and Molly had taken great pains to avoid each other. Ted's reaction had been largely to ignore the situation. He knew better than to get in the middle of what he perceived to be a "domestic squabble".

Jack paced his apartment wishing that none of this had ever happened. Finally, unable to bear the four walls around him, he decided to go into town for a while. He parked his old truck on the outskirts of town and walked down Main Street. The town was small; probably only five or six square blocks, but Jack liked it. He liked all of the little mom-and-pop businesses and the fact that he knew everyone by sight if not by name. Everyone was friendly but they left him alone. Ted was right; the place was forgiving. It seemed like he wasn't the only one here who wanted to forget the past. Strangers wandered into town and, as long as they didn't cause any trouble, they were accepted for who they were. Some hung around for a while and did seasonal work on ranches and then moved on while a few others stayed long term as Jack had done.

Main Street was decorated for Christmas. Strings of lighted garland hung across the street, their lights twinkling as they swayed in the breeze. Jack turned left at the corner and entered the wine and spirits shop. He said hello to the owner who stood behind the counter wearing a Santa hat and looking like he probably had drunk some of the profits over the years.

"Merry Christmas, Jeff," Jim Riley said. Jim's face was ruddy and his nose bulbous.

"Same to you," Jack returned trying to look like he meant it. He felt like Scrooge and it took all of his waning energy to say something other than "Bah, humbug!"

"Looking for something special? I've got some nice bottles of wine. Molly likes the white wines from California," he said winking.

_Yes, I know that, _Jack thought. _If you want to get specific, she likes chardonnay or fume blanc._ He picked up a bottle of Cabernet and then went to the next aisle for scotch. Ted liked scotch and he wanted to get a bottle of his favorite brand as a Christmas present. He wrapped his hand around the neck of the bottle and picked it up. "Just these," Jack said without explanation. He carried the bottles to the counter and Jim rang them up. They exchanged pleasantries for a moment before Jack said goodbye and headed for the library.

Jack knew from past experience that a Christmas spent alone could be an extremely long day. He wanted to be ready for it so he stocked up on all of his favorite authors. Six books plus a bottle of good Cabernet and he was ready to face the day.

Jack left the library and continued along the street toward the coffee shop. He looked in the window and saw that the place was largely deserted. It was too late for lunch and too early for dinner. A couple of high school kids out of school for the holiday sat in a booth eating ice cream sundaes. Jack took note of the dreamy look in their eyes and remembered his own teenage years sitting in the local pizza shop with Teri, the same dreamy expressions on their faces. _Be careful, kids, _he thought looking at the couple. After one of those pizzas he and Teri ended up in the back seat of his father's car and before he knew it, he was in the delivery room being presented with a newborn daughter just after his own twentieth birthday.

Jack didn't feel like going back to the ranch yet, so he went into the coffee shop. Phyllis made a coconut cream pie to die for and Jack was in the mood for coffee and a piece of pie, so he headed into the diner.

"Hi, Jeff. Merry Christmas!" Phyllis called as Jack entered.

"Merry Christmas, Phyllis," Jack answered.

"What can I get for you?" Phyllis asked as she set a coffee cup down in front of him and began to pour.

"The coconut cream pie looks good. I'll take a piece of that."

Phyllis cut a generous slice of pie and set it in front of Jack. "So I hear there are big doings out at Ted's place. Hear the whole family is coming home for Christmas."

"Yeah, his sons and their families are coming in tomorrow."

"That'll be nice. Families should be together at Christmas. Do you and Molly have special plans?"

Jack mentally rolled his eyes. He hated it that his personal life was of interest to anyone. He also hated knowing that no matter how he answered this question his answer would be all over town within fifteen minutes of his leaving the diner. "I'm planning on catching up on my reading," he said indicating the stack of books on the counter next to him. "I would imagine that Molly plans to spend a lot of time with her family."

Phyllis frowned. "I thought you two would spend the holiday together."

"You thought wrong," Jack said casually but inside he was seething. _Don't you think I want to spend Christmas with Molly?_ his mind screamed. _I want to wake up next to her Christmas morning and know that I'll wake up that way every day for the rest of my life. I love her. Can't you see that it's killing me? _

Phyllis refilled Jack's coffee. She didn't know what to make of this development. Jack and Molly had been in the coffee shop a couple of times over the summer and fall and although they didn't do any of those "couple" kind of things like hold hands, Phyllis was certain that there was more than just friendship between them. After years in the coffee shop watching hundreds of couples come and go, she prided herself on being able to spot a couple in love from across the restaurant and she had pegged Jeff and Molly as most definitely in love.

Jack ate the pie and drank the coffee while making nothing more than awkward small talk with Phyllis and some of the girls behind the counter. He left as soon as he was finished eating not wanting to talk any longer and he headed back out into the cold December afternoon. Everyone on the street was happy and Jack did his best to match their enthusiasm and return their greetings. He turned the corner to head back to his truck and stopped for a moment to shift the load of books that he was balancing somewhat precariously on his right arm. The stack adjusted, he was about to continue the trip to his truck when he glanced into the window of the shop in front of him. It was a jewelry store and the window was filled with beautiful gold and silver and precious stones all glittering in the sunshine. A necklace in the corner caught his eye. It was a white gold chain with a horseshoe shaped charm studded with tiny diamonds. Jack instantly thought of Molly; it was perfect for her. He could see the horseshoe lying just below the base of her throat. Without allowing himself to think too much about it, he turned and went into the store.

"Hi, Fred," he said to the elderly shop owner.

"Hi, Jeff. Merry Christmas. I saw you looking in the window. Did something catch your eye?"

"Yeah, I'd like to see the necklace in the corner with the horseshoe on it."

Fred handed him the necklace and Jack held it up to inspect it. "That's a well made piece of jewelry," Fred told him in his best salesman mode. "I told my wife yesterday that I was surprised that no one had bought that yet. See how the diamonds are set; that gives you maximum light refraction. That's why it has such a sparkle to it." Jack said nothing as he examined the necklace. Fred was right in one respect; it sparkled beautifully.

Millicent, Fred's wife, came out from the back of the store. She was a tiny woman who always looked like a good stiff wind would blow her away. "Oh, the horseshoe necklace!" she said. "That's one of my favorites. Fred and I were talking about it yesterday. With all of the girls who ride horses in this town, I thought it would get snatched up in a second."

"Well, a lot of them have looked at it," Fred added, "but I guess that they're waiting for their husbands or boyfriends to buy it for them for Christmas."

Jack was basically ignoring their sales pitch. He knew that he wanted to buy the necklace for Molly but was trying to decide if such a gift was appropriate. What was he going to say when he gave it to her? How could he explain that he loved her and hated himself for what he had done to her and that the necklace was a kind of "I'm sorry" gift but that he still didn't want to restart their relationship? It sounded ridiculous even to him; he couldn't image how stupid it would sound to her. Maybe he would send it to her anonymously. As the ideas swirled in his head he realized that Fred and Millicent were watching him.

"I'll take it," he said blushing slightly. He was not at all sure how he was going to give it to Molly or if, in fact, he would ever work up the nerve to give it to her but he would buy it nonetheless.

Millicent took the necklace from him. "Let me put that in a box and wrap it," she said smiling.

Jack had barely left the store with his purchase when Millicent was on the phone to Phyllis at the coffee shop. "Phyllis? It's Millie. You'll never guess who was just in the shop," Millicent continued without giving Phyllis time to guess. "It was that good looking man that works for Ted Anderson."

"You mean Jeff McCarthy?"

"That's right. He bought that horseshoe necklace that has been in the corner of the window. You know the one. The white gold one studded with diamonds," Millicent told her loving the fact that for once she had one-uped Phyllis in the gossip department.

"Oh, really? Did he say who it was for?" Phyllis asked.

"He didn't say but from what I've heard he's sweet on Ted's daughter. I've seen them walking down the street together."

"Well, he just had a cup of coffee here and I asked him if he was spending Christmas with Molly and he acted as if he didn't know what I was talking about. He almost seemed insulted that I would have suggested it."

"I don't know what to say, Phyllis, unless there's another girl that he's interested in that we don't know about. That isn't the kind of necklace that you buy for just any girl. She would have to have an interest in horses and Molly certainly does fit the bill."

"So do half of the girls in town, Millie," Phyllis countered. She hated being scooped on a good piece of gossip like this.

"Well, I haven't heard that he's dating anyone else," Millie retorted.

"I'm not sure that he's dating Molly. Have you ever seen them holding hands? When they walk down the street together there's a whole body width between them. That's hardly the way a couple acts."

"You can say what you want, Phyllis, but I've seen them look at each other. In fact, it was that day in the coffee shop last summer. Remember? I came in for a ham salad sandwich and they were in there getting some iced tea. Believe me, I've sold enough engagement rings to know what a couple in love looks like and those two were in love."

"You've got a point," Phyllis admitted. "They always seem so happy when they're together. And they make such a handsome couple. I can't help but look at them and think of what pretty blond haired babies they could make. Tell you what, Millie, I'll call Alice Schaefer. Her daughter Andrea works with Molly. I'll bet she'll know the story."

"That's a good idea," Millie said. "Let me know what you find out."

While the town gossips were burning up the phone lines, Jack was on his way back to the ranch. He carried his purchases and his library books up to his apartment and set them on the kitchen counter. He took the wrapped package containing the necklace and sat down on the sofa and stared at it like something was going to jump out of it. He bought the necklace totally on impulse and now he wondered if it was such a good idea. Downstairs in the barn Jack could hear one or two of the horses whinny. He really needed to go down and tend to them, so he set the present aside and decided that he would think about it later.

December 23 dawned sunny and clear and by noon the ranch was a beehive of activity. Ted, Jr. and his wife, Sandra, arrived with their three children. Troy was 15, Erin was 12 and Owen was 7. An hour or so later, Andy and Carolyn arrived with Nicholas, who was 9, and Jane, who at 5, was the youngest Anderson grandchild. Ted was in his glory repeatedly hugging his grandchildren and introducing everyone to Jack.

The children all wanted to play in the barn and see the horses. Despite living far from the ranch, the older children had been taught to ride. Jack saddled up two of the gentler horses for Troy and Erin. Nicholas, Owen and Jane rode in the sleigh which Jack had harnessed to two lumbering draught horses. It was picture-perfect and Jack's morose mood melted in the noonday sun. He hadn't spent any time with children in ages and he had forgotten how much fun it was. Ted, Jr. and Andy joined them in a field where they built a snow fort and had a big snowball fight that lasted until the winter sun had drifted below the horizon.

Molly stood with her sisters-in-law watching the spectacle through the kitchen window. She stared at Jack watching him interact with the children. _He's a natural with kids,_ she thought. _He'd be a wonderful father._ Her heart ached. She wanted to be with him and to have his children and watch him play in the snow with them.

Carolyn seemed to read her mind. "Jeff's great with the kids," she said watching him pick up little Janie and carry her out of a barrage of snow balls that were coming their way in retaliation of a salvo Jack had launched. Janie clung to him and the two laughed as he ran bogged down in the knee deep snow. "Does he have any of his own?"

"Not that I know of," Molly answered. "I don't know a lot about him. He doesn't talk about his life before he came here. It's like he was just dropped off here one day and his life started at that moment."

"He seems very nice," Sandra added. "Ted certainly likes him."

"He's been a godsend for Daddy," Molly agreed. "I don't know how he would have continued running the place without him."

"How do you feel about him?" Carolyn asked sensing that there was more that Molly wasn't saying.

Molly smiled. Her sisters-in-law had, in some ways, been like mothers to her. They were both almost 15 years older than she and had come into the motherless girl's life just before she reached puberty and really needed a mother to talk to. Sandra and Carolyn had both reached out to her and provided her much needed maternal support. Carolyn was particularly adept at knowing when Molly needed that support even now.

"I care about him and I thought he cared about me," she said deciding that Carolyn and Sandra didn't need to know the details. "He feels that we shouldn't be involved since he works for Daddy. I'm not sure how I feel about him." Molly could feel tears sting her eyes.

"You don't know how you feel about him? I think you know exactly how you feel about him. I think you love him," Sandra said softly.

"Maybe I do," Molly admitted, "but it's a moot point. He doesn't love me so I need to stop acting like a lovesick schoolgirl and get on with my life." She walked away so that her sisters-in-law wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. The two of them exchanged a quick glance. They didn't need to see the tears to know that they were there.

The next day was Christmas Eve and the children were up early planning their day. The list of activities included more snowball fights and sleigh rides and to top it all off they would go out and pick out the perfect Christmas tree. Jack finished all of his necessary work around noon and, as promised, took the kids out to pick out a tree. They searched Ted's property for about an hour before they decided on a nice eight foot spruce. Jack cut the tree down and the group hauled it back to the house on a sled. A half hour later the tree stood ready to decorate in Ted's large living room.

With Jack's role in the Christmas tree process finished, he headed out of the house through the kitchen to take care of some chores that he had not quite had time for earlier in the day. As he walked into the kitchen, Molly stepped out of the pantry.

"Hey," he said softly surprised by her sudden presence. "I'm on my way out. I just got the tree in the stand and it's ready to decorate." He didn't know why he felt a need to explain.

"Thanks for your help," Molly said haltingly. "My brothers are all thumbs when it comes to things like putting up a Christmas tree. I saw the tree. It's a pretty one."

"Janie picked it out. First she wanted a twenty foot one that was over by the west gate, but I talked her out of that one," Jack smiled sheepishly. He felt like a teenager and hated the feeling, the awkwardness of the moment.

"Look, if you don't have plans for dinner tomorrow, Dad would really love it if you came over."

Jack looked at the floor for a moment and then back at Molly. "How would you feel?"

"It doesn't matter how I feel. My brothers and I decided that this Christmas is for Dad. His accident last winter really scared us. We don't have any control over how many more Christmases we might have with him. We want this one to be special for him. He wants you to be here, which means that I want you to be here, too."

"That's sweet of you, Molly. I'd really like to come for dinner."

"Good, then that's settled. We're eating around 5 o'clock. We'll see you then," Molly said.

Jack stared at Molly for a long moment before nodding his farewell and leaving. He plodded slowly through the snow back to the barn with his insides tangled in a knot. His head was telling him one thing, and his heart was telling him another. He found himself inexplicably drawn to this family, to the kids, to Ted, but mostly to Molly. The thought of another lonely Christmas without Kim or anyone else that he loved was unbearable. Being a part of a family, if only at the family's distant edge, gave him something to look forward to and the thought of being near Molly warmed his heart.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks again to those of you who reviewed! Sorry it took me a while, but here is Chapter 4. Hope you enjoy!_

Chapter 4

By 5 o'clock on Christmas day, Jack had probably paced fifteen miles back and forth in his apartment. He got up like any normal day to do the chores. The animals didn't really care that it was Christmas; they needed to be fed and watered just like any other day. When he finished, he took Heidi for a ride to try and clear his mind, but it didn't help. He was both excited and nervous about having to spend time with Molly.

Just before 5 o'clock, Jack picked up the bottle of scotch for Ted and got ready to go. He looked at the present for Molly sitting on the counter and couldn't decide if he should take it or not. In the course of the day he had gone back and forth between feeling that buying the necklace for Molly was the right thing to do and thinking that he must have been out of his mind when he bought it. He decided that he had a couple of choices. He could give the necklace to Molly as planned, he could keep the necklace and send it to Kim anonymously or he could simply return the necklace to the jewelry store and forget the whole thing. After much thought, he decided to put the small box in the inside pocket of his jacket just in case the chance to give it to her arose. If not, he would bring it back with him and choose one of his other two options.

The 100 yard walk between the barn and the house were possibly the longest of 100 yards Jack had ever walked. On the way he tried to figure out exactly what he would say to Molly _if_ he gave the necklace to her. He knew that he needed to apologize to her but past "I'm sorry" what was he going to say? Would he tell her that he wanted them to be friends? _Gee, there is nothing a girl wants to hear more after you've spent a night naked in bed with her than that you want to be friends! _He could imagine her response to that. She'd probably punch him and in his mind that was about what he deserved. Jack arrived at the house and stood on the porch for a second before finally ringing the bell.

Despite Jack's misgivings about having dinner with the Anderson clan, after a couple of drinks, he found himself having a good time. Dinner was spectacular. The dining room table must have had three leaves in it to make it long enough for everyone to be seated. Jack and Molly sat at opposite ends of the table. Not really by design, it was just that the men seemed to congregate at one end while the women sat at the other and all of the kids sat in the middle. Jack stole an occasional glance in Molly's direction. She looked so pretty that he had trouble keeping his eyes off of her. He was used to seeing her dressed in jeans and casual shirts and sweaters, but today she wore a tight black skirt with a black lace tank top covered by a red herringbone tweed blazer. The jacket rested on her hips accentuating their soft curve. When Jack first saw her that day, he wondered how he was going to be able to concentrate on eating. For her part, Molly was having as difficult a time keeping her mind on dinner as Jack. She, too, was taken by how good he looked dressed up. She thought she had caught him looking her way once or twice, but both times he was able to avert his gaze in such a way that she wasn't sure if he had really been looking at her.

Everyone ate what seemed to be an endless supply of steaming standing rib roast surrounded by potatoes and at least a dozen other dishes. Jack couldn't remember the last time he had eaten so much. By the time dinner was over he wondered if any of his pants would still fit. The adults sat back and sipped coffee while the children ran off to play with their new presents. It was Ted who finally pushed his chair back and, looking at the inordinate number of dirty dishes on the table, announced that the men would clean up.

"The girls did the cooking," he said. "It's our duty to clean up, boys" That had been the holiday custom around the Anderson house since long before Ted's wife died. She had always done the cooking but Ted and the boys cleaned up. Both Ted, Jr. and Andy groaned remembering long hours in the kitchen trying to clean up what seemed like a mountain of pots and pans and serving dishes. "I don't want to hear it!" Ted told them. "Molly and Carolyn and Sandra, you go sit in the living room and have some eggnog. We'll be in the kitchen."

And so it went, Jack accompanied the other men into the kitchen. They all rolled up their sleeves and donned aprons and started clearing and scraping and washing and drying. Somewhere in the middle of it Jack realized why Ted, Jr. and Andy had groaned. This was a task that looked like it might never end.

Jack walked back out into the dining room to stack some clean dishes on one end of the table and to pick up another load of dirty ones. He glanced into the living room and saw Molly alone in the room straightening out pillows and picking up bits of wrapping paper that hadn't quite made it to the trash. He watched her for a moment and was overcome by his need for her. It wasn't just a physical need, it was an emotional need. He had been alone for so long now, and this evening spent with a big, close family had simply underscored his desire to be part of that again. He wanted to stop relying solely on himself and have someone to love and help him through each day.

His jacket hung on the back of one of the dining room chairs. He retrieved the small package from the pocket and held it behind his back. His heart was pounding and he had no idea what he was going to say to Molly but he took a deep breath and walked into the living room.

Molly's back was to him as he entered. "You're supposed to be relaxing not cleaning up," he told her.

She turned and smiled. "Sandra and Carolyn were herding the kids upstairs to get ready for bed and I decided to straighten up."

"Dinner was wonderful," Jack said changing the subject. "Thank you for asking me."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," she returned. She wanted to say more but didn't quite know what to say.

"I, ah, I have something for you," Jack stuttered. He pulled his hand from behind his back and offered the present to her. "Merry Christmas. I saw it and I thought it was perfect for you. I wanted you to have it."

"That was so thoughtful. You shouldn't have," Molly said. She tried had to keep her hands from shaking as she took the little package and started to open it.

"If you don't like it, it can be returned," Jack suggested nervously.

Molly opened the little velvet box to reveal the necklace. The light from the fireplace played off of the diamonds. "Oh, it's beautiful, Jeff! I love it" Tears filled her eyes. She touched the necklace carefully as if it were fragile.

"I thought it would be pretty on you," Jack said as he reached for the necklace and took it from its velvet nest. He opened the clasp and indicated for Molly to turn around. She did so without speaking and held up her hair so that Jack could fasten the necklace around her neck. Molly turned around and Jack smiled, satisfied that he had made the right choice. "I was right. It looks beautiful. You look beautiful," he added softly. He was standing close and she could feel the warmth of his body.

Molly's lower lip trembled and she knew that tears would soon tumble down her face. It was Jack who spoke again. "I love you, Molly. I've been a fool and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I need to have you in my life and if you'll have me, you would make me the happiest man in the world."

"Oh, Jeff," Molly whispered as the tears finally cascaded over her cheeks. She threw her arms around him and he pulled her close. "I love you so much. I want you to be part of my life forever." They kissed, sweetly at first, but allowed themselves to be carried away by the moment. Soon their tongues were wrestling gently and the world around them had ceased to exist.

"So that's where you went." Jack and Molly were startled back to reality by Ted's voice. "We thought you were just trying to get out of doing more dishes," he said with a jovial lilt. Jack and Molly pulled back embarrassed and looking down both trying hard to suppress smiles. "I take it you two have made up."

Jack recovered first. "Yeah, we have," he said finally allowing himself to smile. "Let me, ah, go back and help with those dishes." He smiled at Molly and went back toward the kitchen. Molly watched him go, her lips still tingling and wet from his kisses.

"Did I miss something? A couple of hours ago you two were barely speaking," Ted commented. He stepped closer to his daughter and touched the necklace. "This is new."

"I'm as surprised as you are," Molly told him, "but I'm not complaining." She stopped and took a breath. "I love him, Daddy."

"I know you do," Ted assured her.

Molly looked surprised. "How did you know? I've never said a word about this to you."

"I know you better than you realize," Ted sighed. "Mary Louise, for almost as long as I can remember now, it's been you and me. You were only four when Andy went off to college and Ted had already been gone for two years. Without your mother, well, you were all I had to focus on. I got pretty good at knowing what you were thinking. I think mothers usually have that instinct with their children. Your mother always seemed to know what Ted and Andy were up to and what they were thinking. I couldn't understand that. After she died, I realized that I spent so much more time with you that I got to be the same way. You didn't have to tell me that you loved Jeff. I sensed it; I could feel it."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"For the same reason that I never told you that I didn't like Zach and that I knew your marriage was destined for failure, it was none of my business. You were going to tell me about Jeff when you were ready."

"You didn't like Zach?"

Ted made a face and shook his head as if to clear a bad smell. "No! He was a bum and he never loved you."

Molly laughed. "I thought you liked him. I was so afraid to tell you that I left him."

"I did everything but get up and dance the jig when you called to say that you two separated. I wasn't happy that your marriage had failed, but I was happy that he was out of your life."

"How do you feel about Jeff?"

"It really doesn't matter how I feel, Molly, what is important is how you feel."

Molly rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! What kind of psycho-babble is that? Are you watching afternoon television again? Answer my question," she was laughing now and Ted loved the sound of her laughter.

"He's a good man," Ted said softly, "and he loves you. I hope things work out between you because I think you'd make a wonderful couple."

Molly reached out and hugged her father. "Oh, Daddy, thank you. It means a lot to me to hear you say that."

"Okay, now who's trying to get out of washing dishes?" Jack called from the dining room as he set a new load of clean dishes on the table.

"I'm coming! I'm coming," Ted said as he turned and walked to the dining room. "A man can't even spend a couple of minutes with his own daughter around this house!"

Eventually dishes were clean and the children were on their way to bed followed by their exhausted parents and grandfather. Jack and Molly snuggled on the living room sofa drinking brandy and enjoying the crackling of the fire and the glow of the Christmas tree. They occasionally kissed but mostly they just enjoyed being in each other's arms. The day was ending so differently than it had begun for them and they were both basking in the wonder of it. Christmas had changed their lives forever and they both knew it.

Jack turned his head slightly so that he could kiss Molly's temple. "Thank you," he murmured.

Molly closed her eyes against the sensation. "For what?" she whispered in return.

"For asking me to dinner. It was at dinner that it finally hit me how really alone I am in the world and how wonderful it is to be part of a family. And there you were sitting half a table away from me ready to give me all the love I could ever hope for and I was letting it slip away."

Molly laughed. "Wow! After having dinner with my crazy family you decided you wanted to be part of it? Don't get me wrong, I love them, but most men would take the first opportunity to run away after spending an evening with my family."

"You have a great family. Everyone's been so nice to include me. And I love the kids. They're wonderful kids."

"The kids like you, especially Janie. When I kissed her goodnight, she told me that she saw us kissing, but she wouldn't tell anyone because Nicholas got in trouble for kissing the little girl next door and she didn't want you to get in any trouble."

Jack laughed. "She's a doll."

"You're really good with the kids." Molly thought for a second before continuing but finally decided that the question had to be asked. "Do you have children?"

Jack's initial instinct was to lie and say no. Jeff McCarthy didn't have any children but Jack Bauer did and something in his soul stopped him from denying it. He looked away as he spoke. "I have a daughter."

"How old is she?"

"She's almost 23."

"Where does she live?"

"In California, with her husband."

"Do you have any contact with her?"

Jack shook his head. "No, it's better that way." _It's for her own safety, _he wanted to sayHe wanted to tell Molly everything, but now just wasn't the time. He didn't know if the time would ever come.

"What about her mother?"

Jack closed his eyes for a second not sure how to answer. "My wife was killed," he said softly. He deliberately chose the word "killed" over "murdered." Killed had the connotation that it had been an accident and he hoped that Molly would imagine some horrific car accident had claimed Teri. Had he told her that Teri was murdered, it would require further explanation.

"Oh, Jeff, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. Was that when you came here?"

"No, Teri died several years ago. I drifted for a while before I ended up here. It's taken me a long time to put my life back together but now that I'm here, I think it's all falling into place." Jack was trying to end the conversation without making it obvious.

"I'm sorry for what happened, but I'm glad you ended up here," Molly said kissing him and settling back down in his arms. She suddenly felt satisfied that he had opened up to her. She had always known that he was hiding something and she was comfortable that he had finally allowed her to know what it was. Knowing that he had unburdened himself, Molly decided that it was her turn. The conversation about children allowed her an awkward opening.

She hesitated and then started. "I was pregnant once," she said softly, "a few years ago, when I was married. I was so happy. I wanted a baby so much and my husband couldn't have cared less. I knew that our marriage was shaky, but I was sure that if we had a baby that everything would be okay. I know, that was stupid of me." Jack could hear the pain in her voice and he pulled her closer and pressed a kiss onto the top of her head. Molly pulled away as if not wanting to be close to him while she told the story. She walked to the window and stared out at the snow slowly drifting from heaven to earth.

Molly had never told anyone this story, not her father, not her sisters-in-law, not her best friend. It was too painful and too degrading. It so deeply underscored how bad her marriage was and how badly she had misjudged Zach but after listening to the man she loved open up about his past, she knew that she had to open up about hers as well.

"I would talk about the baby and Zach would say 'It's not a baby. Right now it's a bunch of cells. It's a parasite that's growing by sapping everything it needs from you.' I couldn't believe he felt that way about his child. I kept telling myself that as the baby grew and when I started showing that he would be happy about it. Then one morning I got up and I had terrible cramps and I was bleeding." A soft sob escaped from her throat as she relived the memory. "I knew that I was having a miscarriage. Zach was already on his way to work. He was a surgeon so by 7 o'clock he was in the operating room. I called him on his cell phone and told him what was happening. I asked him to come home to be with me. He said, 'What good with that do? I can't stop it from happening. If I come home now, all of the surgeries I have scheduled for today will have to be rescheduled. That's just going to put me behind. Do you want that?' I was devastated. That was when I finally realized that there was no point in trying to save our marriage. I stayed in it for another six months or so before I got up the courage to leave."

Jack was behind her, his arms around her. He understood now why Molly was so reluctant to fall in love again. Ted had told him that Molly's ex-husband had broken her heart, but Jack suspected that even Ted didn't know how deeply she had been hurt. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry," he whispered. "Come here." He turned her around so that he could hold her. He kissed away her tears. "You know that I would never do that to you. I love you too much."

Jack and Molly stood holding each other in front of the window for a long time both drinking in the wonderful feeling of loving and being loved. They eventually made their way back to the sofa in front of the Christmas tree where they curled up together under a blanket and fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.

The week between Christmas and New Year's Eve was busy for both Jack and Molly and the two barely had a moment alone to share a kiss. Things began to settle down on December 30th when Andy and his family left to return home. On the 31st, Ted, Jr. packed his family up to go back to Toronto. Ted was accompanying them to Toronto and then was continuing on to New York to spend the next two weeks with his sister. Molly drove everyone to the airport and as much as she enjoyed having her family home for Christmas, she felt a certain sense of relief as she watched the plane taxi down the runway. Molly headed back to the ranch all the while mentally planning her perfect New Year's Eve celebration alone with her new love.

Jack was just bringing Heidi back to the barn when Molly drove up the driveway. "Hey," she called. "Are you almost finished?"

Jack leaned into the driver's side window to kiss her. "I just finished up. Give me a half hour to brush Heidi and then run upstairs to take a shower."

"Sounds great." Molly gave Jack a quick kiss and handed him a set of house keys. "I'll be waiting."

Jack took the keys and watched her go. He took Heidi into the barn and gave her a quick brushing. "Sorry, girl," he told her as he scratched her behind the ear. "I don't have a lot of extra time today. I'll make it up to you." Given the choice between spending time brushing Heidi and spending time doing whatever it was that Molly was planning in that big ranch house with just the two of them, Jack didn't have to think very hard to know which one he was going to choose.

By six o'clock, Jack was showered and dressed and on his way across the yard to the house. He let himself in with the keys Molly had given him. "Molly," he called as he entered the kitchen. "Where are you?"

"I'm upstairs. There's a bottle of champagne in the refrigerator. Can you bring it up?" Molly called down the stairs. Jack found the champagne and trotted eagerly up the stairs.

"I thought you'd never get here," Molly said seductively as Jack reached the first landing.

Jack looked up and Molly stepped out of the bedroom. He gasped when he caught sight of her. She was wearing a wine colored negligee that fell to her ankles and had a deep slit all the way up to her left thigh. Her hair was pulled up and away from her face. "My God! You look beautiful," he whispered.

Molly blushed red and smiled. "I, ah, I know this isn't our first time, but I wanted it to be special. Not that our first time wasn't special," she added hastily, "because it was. It was wonderful. I just wanted this to be, I don't know…"

Jack pressed a kiss to her lips to silence her. "Molly, every minute that I spend with you is special."

A couple of hours later, Jack and Molly were propped on pillows in bed drinking champagne and feeding each other shrimp cocktail. That had already made love twice and both knew that they weren't finished yet. After more shrimp and champagne and love, they toasted the New Year and, just after midnight, fell into a blissful sleep.

Come morning, the bright winter sun was low in the sky and shining in their window and across the bed. Molly awoke still wrapped in Jack's arms. They were lying on their sides, her back pressed solidly against his front. She marveled at how perfectly their bodies fit together. Like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, every curve matched to create an almost seamless continuum. She smiled as she felt an early morning erection pressing gently against her thigh. Hating to let that go to waste, Molly turned over and began kissing Jack's face and neck. He groaned and rolled onto his back to give her unfettered access to his entire body.

Molly placed soft kisses across his chest taking a moment or two to suck on his nipples and then made her way to his left shoulder. Slowly she descended his left arm kissing along his biceps. She opened her eye as she worked her way down toward his forearm. It was then that she noticed it. The marks, old and well healed, but nonetheless there. Track marks. Early in her nursing career she had worked in the emergency room of an inner city hospital. She knew track marks when she saw them.

Jack was simply lying back enjoying the attention that Molly was doting on him when he realized that she had stopped. He turned his head to look at her and saw her staring at his arm. Instinct told him to pull away, to hide the evidence, to pretend that it was something else, but he knew that he couldn't. Molly loved him and he had hurt her enough.

"I've been clean for over three years, Molly. I swear to you I haven't touched the stuff since the day I went into rehab." He stroked her hair with his other hand. "I should have told you, I know. I just didn't know how to do it." He was babbling, trying to explain and to fill the dead air. "How could I tell you that I was an ex-junkie? I was afraid that you wouldn't love me. I was afraid of what you'd think of me."

Without a word, Molly lowered her head and covered the track marks with kisses. Jack swallowed hard to hold back tears that were filling his eyes. He was so afraid that he'd lost her and in that simple gesture she had told him that it was alright and that she still loved him.

"They're old, I can tell," Molly said finally facing him. "There aren't a lot of them. You didn't do it for long."

"About a year," he confessed. They were both quiet for a moment. "After my wife died, I just couldn't get my life back together. It hurt too much. She was everywhere I looked and I didn't want to live anymore. I got the chance to try it and I never thought I'd get hooked, but every time I shot up I felt so much better. The pain was gone, just for a little while, but it was gone. Every time I told myself that I could stop, but I'd go back. I wanted the pain to go away. Finally I knew I was addicted. I hated myself and who I'd become. I was lying to everyone: my friends, my employers, my daughter. I tried to stop on my own but I couldn't. I ended up in rehab and I got through it. I've never used again. There were times I wanted to, but I never did it." He touched Molly's face. "And I swear to you that I have never had any desire to use again since I've been here and since I've known you. I love you, Baby, and I won't jeopardize our relationship for a cheap high. You take me higher than any hit I ever took."

"I love you and I trust you," Molly said as she kissed his lips. Her heart ached for him. She had begun to realize how difficult his life had been before he came here and she desperately wanted to make him happy now. "Promise me that if you ever feel like you need to start using again that you'll come to me. I'll understand, Jeff. I'll make sure that you get some help."

Jack pulled her gratefully into his arms. "With you here, I don't need heroin, but I promise that if I ever do, I'll tell you. God! I love you, Molly," he whispered as he pushed her onto her back to make love to her one more time.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi and thanks again for the reviews. My original outline had this as the last chapter, but it started to get so long and unwieldy that I decided to make it into two chapters. That left for a little bit of an awkward ending to the chapter. I hope to make up for that when I post the last chapter in a few days. It has always been my intention to post this story in its entirety before the start of S5 in the US because it seemed to me that the story has little appeal once we all know what really happens to Jack. Since the new season starts in two days, I'm not sure that will happen. Despite that, I do hope that you'll all stay with me through the final chapter. And please, please, please, if you read take a second and review!_

Chapter 5

The New Year progressed through a warmer than usual winter and into a glorious spring. Jack and Molly's romance heated up with the weather until it was clear to everyone in town that Molly Anderson and Jeff McCarthy were definitely "an item." Molly stopped in the coffee shop with some girlfriends a few days into the New Year. Phyllis quickly noted the horseshoe shaped necklace at the base of her throat and, as soon as the girls left, was on the phone to Millicent. A couple of weeks later, Jack and Molly were seen holding hands as they walked down the street and Phyllis' friend Alice Schaefer whose daughter worked with Molly called to tell her that "Jeff picked up Molly after work on Friday afternoon." The town gossips suddenly had something new to talk about and they made the most of it.

Jack had become more and more comfortable with his new life and his new love. He was also comfortable that his cover was good and decided that it was time to contact Tony. He had always planned to do so but wanted to make sure that it was safe. He had easily tracked Tony down through the internet and wasn't particularly surprised to find that Secretary of Defense Heller had given Tony his old job. Tony was well suited for it and Jack knew that he would be good at it.

Finding Tony was easy. How to contact him without putting either Tony or himself at risk was another issue entirely. Jack eventually decided to create a bogus webpage "advertising" a dude ranch vacation. He pulled together some photos of the ranch including one of himself roping a calf that Molly had taken the summer before. The picture was taken at a distance and if viewed casually, would not reveal Jack's identity. Jack hoped that Tony would become suspicious of the advertisement and look more closely at it. Photo enhancing software that Tony would have access to would make Jack easily identifiable. Unfortunately, Tony would have no way to reply. Jack simply couldn't risk that. He would just have to hope that Tony figured it out before deleting what looked like just another email advertisement.

More importantly, Jack and Tony had agreed prior to his escape that once Jack felt that it was safe to contact him, Tony would get in touch with Kim and tell her the truth about her father. Jack had mixed emotions about Kim knowing the truth. He hated that she couldn't know from the beginning but he felt that it was important for her own safety that she believe that he was dead. If either the US or Chinese governments were watching her, she had to play the grieving daughter. If she failed to do so in any way, he was afraid that they might hurt her or abduct her to draw him out of hiding. He wasn't afraid of giving himself up; he just didn't want Kim to be hurt in any way.

Now that a year and a half had gone by and Kim would be past grieving for him, Jack wondered if it was really best if she just continued to think that he was dead. Would she just be angry with him for what he had put her through? He prayed that she would understand why he did what he did and that she could forgive him. He knew that Tony and Michelle would do their best to explain his position. As his plan to escape took shape, he took a couple of minutes to write her a letter telling her that he loved her and begging her not to hate him for what he had done to her. He gave the letter to Tony to deliver when it was safe to do so.

Spring and summer came and brought with them long days filled with hard work. Jack was up before the sun and frequently fell asleep just after sundown. Ted's 15 year old grandson Troy had come to spend the summer at the ranch. Troy both looked and acted like his rancher grandfather. Ted, Jr. had shunned the physical labor and the long hours necessary to run a ranch, but Troy loved it. Jack enjoyed the boy's company and took every opportunity to teach him the ropes.

Under Jack's management, Ted was amazed to see how well the ranch was doing. He had managed it alone for years, but Jack brought some new ideas and enthusiasm to ranching that had increased his profits significantly. Already holding more land than almost any rancher in Alberta, Ted decided to buy some additional property. He put Jack in charge of assessing any available properties and negotiating the prices. Jack attacked the responsibility, as he did all new challenges, with all of his energy.

Christmas approached and Jack saw it much differently this year than he had the last. Instead of dreading it, he couldn't wait for it to get here. He frequently found himself humming Christmas carols and he got the old sleigh out of storage just so that he and Molly could take an occasional ride. When he thought back to all of the romantic times he had spent in his past with Teri and Kate and Audrey, none of them seemed to match up to the romance of snuggling in the sleigh, wrapped in a blanket with Molly. After a long ride on a cold night, they would end up taking a hot shower and falling into a warm bed to make love all night. It was like all of those "date movies" he had been dragged to over the years only so much more satisfying when it was happening to you instead of the guy on the screen.

Neither of Ted's sons were able to bring their families in for the holiday, so Ted decided to go to Vancouver and spend some time with Andy and his family. He did so partially to spend the time with his son, who he rarely saw, but also to give Jack and Molly some time together. They had dated steadily for a full year now and Ted was anxious to see them get married. He knew that he needed to stay out of it. Jack and Molly were obviously happy with their current relationship. They maintained separate apartments, but Ted was well aware that they spent four or five nights a week together. If they were happy, he knew that he shouldn't care, but in this circumstance he was being a little selfish. He recognized that he was getting on in years and he wanted to see his daughter happily married before he died. Not to mention the fact that he wanted the chance to see any grandchildren that Molly produced.

Jack and Molly celebrated Christmas and New Years together quietly. Ted came home a week later unhappy to find that Christmas had not brought the engagement announcement that he had anticipated. The winter in Alberta was cold and dark. It was a quiet time on the ranch that gave Jack plenty of time to work on the business end of things. He was working in Ted's study on the computer one day when the phone rang. It was an elderly woman who identified herself as Irene Raymond. She had heard that Ted was looking to buy up some property and explained to Jack that she and her husband had grown too infirmed over the last few years to continue running the small ranch. She admitted that it had fallen into a state of disrepair and that it needed a lot of work. She was hoping that Ted was interested in the property.

Jack listened sympathetically to the woman. In the background he could hear someone, he presumed that it was her husband, coughing a deep emphysematous cough. He asked the location of the property and she gave him an address that was about 90 or so miles from Ted's ranch. Jack started to tell her that he was sorry but that the property was simply too far from Ted's for him to be interested in it, but something stopped him. She sounded so sad and desperate. She was so hopeful that Ted would be interested in the property. With the money from the sale she and her husband could move into a retirement apartment where her husband would be closer to a medical facility. It was obvious that she and her husband had invested their lives in their little ranch and now, despite the fact that they loved it, it had become a burden that they couldn't manage. Jack decided to take a look at the property; maybe he and Ted could work something out.

He told the woman that he would be out to look at the property on Saturday. She thanked him repeatedly and they disconnected. Jack set the phone down and picked it back up in the same motion. It was Molly's number that he dialed.

"Hi, babe," he said unable to keep from smiling when he heard her voice. "What kind of plans do you have for Saturday?"

"I was going to give myself a facial and do my nails. Do you have a better offer for me?" she asked.

"I was going to take a look at a piece of property that might be of interest to your father. Do you want to ride along?"

"I guess so. Where is it?"

Jack gave her the address.

"Jeff, that's a hundred miles from here. Does Daddy really want a piece of property that far away?"

"I don't know. I haven't talked to him about it." He went on to tell Molly about the phone call. "The lady just sounded so desperate to sell and…"

"and you're such a softie," Molly said interrupting him.

"Okay, so I'm a softie. I just couldn't say 'no' over the phone. Let's see what looks like. If it's a nice property, I'll talk to your dad. Maybe we can invest a little money into it to fix it up and sell it at a profit. If it's a total dump, then, it'll break my heart, but we'll tell her 'no'." Jack liked it that Molly had referred to him as "a softie." No one would have ever thought of referring to Jack Bauer that way. Audrey may have been the most inclined to do so until she actually saw him in action. He doubted that she ever considered him "a softie" after that.

"Okay, it's a deal," Molly agreed. "It sounds more interesting than doing my nails anyway."

Jack told Molly that he would pick her up around 8:30 and they would get some breakfast at the coffee shop before leaving town. "It gives Phyllis something to talk about all weekend," Jack laughed. "We have to make sure that we hold hands across the table and kiss a lot."

"You know that it drives her crazy that you're off the market," Molly informed him. "Before I got in the way, you were on her 'husband radar'."

"Get out! You're imagining things, sweetheart," Jack retorted.

"I am not! She thinks you have a nice ass!"

"How do you know that?"

"She told me."

"She told you? What did you say?" he asked not sure if he wanted to know. Molly's sense of humor could be biting at times.

"I told her that she was right that you do have a great ass and that it's even better when it's naked. I also mentioned that the rest of you isn't bad either, especially naked."

"Molly! No wonder the woman looks at me the way she does!" Jack and Molly hung up both laughing and looking forward to their little adventure on Saturday.

Saturday arrived and Jack picked up Molly at 8:30 as promised. They ate a big breakfast at the coffee shop. Phyllis had just finished baking cinnamon rolls and the entire restaurant was filled with the aroma. Jack and Molly ordered one to share along with their breakfasts and made sure Phyllis was looking while they fed pieces of it to each other and licked the gooey icing off of each other's fingers. They smiled knowing that everyone in town would hear about it within a matter of hours.

Jack and Molly drove the hour and a half to the Raymond's ranch. It was a nice ride. Ted's property was on the eastern edge of the rolling foothills that eventually led to the Rocky Mountains. The Raymond's property was almost due east of Ted's in the vast expanse of prairie.

Jack and Molly parked in front of the ranch house and got out. Jack surveyed the house quickly. It was a good looking house that was in need of a coat of paint and some work on the trim. He noted some gaps around the windows that needed to be filled in. Overall, the house wasn't in bad shape and it was the land that Ted would be interested in, not the house.

Irene Raymond answered the door. Despite the frailty that Jack had detected over the phone, Irene was a sturdy looking woman of nearly 70. She was small in stature, standing only about 5 feet tall, and had a small frame. Her skin was tanned to a permanent, leathery brown from years of work on the ranch. Jack noted that her hands were calloused and her handshake was firm.

"Mr. McCarthy," she said as she reached out to shake his hand. "I'm Irene Raymond. I'm happy to meet you."

Jack introduced Molly and the two entered the house.

"Come in to the dining room," Irene requested. "My husband Al is waiting for us there. I have everything pertaining to the ranch on the table."

Jack and Molly were introduced to Al, who looked much older than Irene and breathed with the help of a portable oxygen tank. The four sat down at the table to look over the land maps that Irene had set out for them. The ranch was a reasonable size but over the last ten years Al and Irene had only used a portion of it. They had stopped raising cattle and had concentrated on pigs since they took up less room and were less physical work. The portion of land that they hadn't been using had, they admitted, become a waist high grassland in dire need of plowing and reseeding. Besides the house and garage, the property had two out buildings: a barn and a stable. The Raymonds were currently boarding several horses in the stable to make some extra money. After reviewing the land maps, Jack and Molly walked outside to look over the buildings.

"Nice place," Jack commented as the two walked to the barn. "The asking price is very reasonable."

"It's a nice piece of land, but it needs a lot of work. Jeff, I think we're wasting these people's time. My father isn't going to be interested in this place. We should just tell them the truth and go. I don't think it's fair to get their hopes up," Molly said. Jack didn't seem to be listening and Molly could tell. He was examining the barn structure, making mental notes of the work that needed to be done.

They went back to the house following their brief tour. The snow covering the fields prevented them from going out to see more of the property. Irene and Al stood hopefully in the front window watching the couple step back up on the porch.

"What do you think?" Irene asked anxiously.

"The place is in need of some work," Jack responded honestly. "I'm not sure that this is quite what Mr. Anderson is looking for but let me talk to him and we'll get back to you."

They shook hands and Jack and Molly left. They drove about ten minutes before either of them spoke.

"That was wrong, Jeff," Molly said quietly. "You know that Daddy isn't interested in that place. Why didn't you tell them?"

"I didn't have the heart," Jack admitted.

"You're going to have to tell them eventually."

"Maybe I will, but I really do want to talk to your father. Maybe we can work something out."

Jack took Molly home and returned to the ranch. He and Ted discussed the property and Ted agreed with Molly that the place was too far and in need of too much work for him to buy it. Ted did offer to call some other ranchers that he knew in hopes that the property would suit one of them.

Jack barely slept the next two nights. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the Raymond's ranch. The sky had been so blue when he visited and the land so perfectly level. The house was nice and just a little work would make it beautiful. The barn and stable were sturdy. They needed some repairs, but nothing major or structural in nature. More and more as he envisioned the ranch, he saw himself there. He was on top of his horse herding cattle or roping a calf. Molly was there, too. She was riding beside him, working with him, raising a family with him.

Jack rolled out of bed on Monday morning grateful that the sun had finally risen and he had an excuse to get up. After dressing and taking care of early morning chores, he made his way over to the house.

"Morning, Jeff," Lila said as he entered the kitchen. "Ready for some breakfast?"

"Not this morning, Lila. Just some coffee," Jack said as he filled a mug. "Is Ted in the study?"

"In there reading his paper," Lila told him. "You sure you don't want breakfast. I'm making hotcakes."

"Coffee's fine for now; maybe after I talk to Ted." Jack turned and went toward the study.

"Morning," he called as he entered the room.

"Good morning," Ted responded.

"Any luck with a buyer for the Raymond ranch?"

"None. I talked to some friends over the weekend. Everyone feels the same way. It's too far away. No one is interested."

Jack nodded and looked at the floor for a moment. "I'm interested," he said as he looked up.

"You're interested?"

"I've wanted a place of my own for a while. I thought it would be in four or five years, but that ranch is perfect for me. It needs work, but the price is right. I can scrape together the down payment from what I've saved. It'll be tight for a while, but I think I can make it."

"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Ted queried.

"Very serious."

"I would hate to lose you, but if this is what you want, then I'm happy for you." Ted stopped for a moment. "Have you told Molly yet?"

"No, not yet. I wanted to talk to you about that. If I'm going to buy my own place, I want Molly to be with me. I'd like to ask her to marry me and I'd like your permission."

Ted smiled. "And if I said 'no'? I suspect that you'd do it anyway. You don't need my permission, son."

Jack was smiling now, too. "Then I'm asking for your blessing."

"You've got my blessing. You've always had that. I would like to ask for one thing, though. I'd like you to tell Molly the truth, all of it, Jack."

Jack nodded. The sound of his name almost made him cringe. He no longer thought of himself as Jack Bauer. His life was so far removed from that of Jack Bauer that the identity had truly been lost. "I plan to tell her everything. She deserves to know."

Jack left the house so happy that his feet were barely touching the ground. He called the Raymonds and, again, noncommittally told them that he was trying to work out a deal and that he would be back to them in a few days. He wanted to tell them that he was buying the ranch, but there was one sticking point. Once he told Molly the truth about himself, he didn't know if she would still love him or want to be with him. If she rejected his proposal after hearing about his past, he would have to move on. His heart wouldn't allow him to be just 90 miles away from her and not have her as a part of this life. He would also have to change his identity again. He couldn't take the risk that she would turn him in once she knew the truth.

Jack called Molly at work and asked her to dinner at a nice restaurant just a few miles outside of Calgary. She was a little surprised that he wanted to go to such a nice place on a weeknight, but she was so busy at work that she didn't really give it much thought.

Next Jack drove into town and parked near the jewelry store. He had been eying up a small diamond solitaire for some time now. Had he seen the ring a few years ago he would have written it off as too small, but now it was perfect for his soon to be over stretched budget. Besides, he reasoned, it had a nice setting and Molly wasn't particularly flashy. All of her jewelry was small and conservative. He was sure that she would like it. He made Fred and Millicent at the jewelry story promise not to breathe a word to anyone.

"Millicent, I know that you and Phyllis are friends, but I need this to be a secret. If you tell Phyllis or anyone else, it'll be all over town in a heart beat. If Molly finds out before I give this to her, I'm holding you responsible," Jack said firmly.

Millicent was surprised by how stern Jeff McCarthy could be; it was a side of him that she hadn't seen before. She agreed knowing that it was the right thing to do but also knowing that it was going to kill her to keep this a secret. She just hoped that he popped the question soon or she was going to burst!

It was six o'clock when Jack picked Molly up for their date. He was dressed in a suit and, although he grew a full beard for warmth in the winter, he had shaved it off for the occasion.

"Look at you," Molly exclaimed as she stroked his cheek and kissed it softly. A lot of men, including her father, grew a beard in winter so she was used to it, but she really preferred him clean shaven. "Let's see… an expensive restaurant _and a shave_," she pondered with a smile. "I guess that means I owe you big when we get back tonight!"

Jack kissed her and pulled her in close. "What ever you think it's worth will be fine with me," he hissed seductively into her ear.

Molly thought her knees were going to give way as the tip of his tongue darted briefly into her ear. "Maybe we don't need dinner," she whispered back ready to drop her dress right there and give herself to him. What was it about this man that was so exciting?

"Oh, no," Jack replied. "Dinner first. It gives you time to think about what you'd like to do later." He pressed his lips into the crook of her neck and Molly groaned. She wasn't sure that she'd make it through dinner. It was a good thing that she was working a late shift the next day, because she had the feeling that it was going to be a long night.

They drove the distance to the restaurant and had a nice dinner. Jack was looking for just the right time to give Molly the ring, but decided that it would be best to wait until they were alone after dinner at her apartment. As they entered Molly's apartment, Jack could feel his insides form a solid knot. This was it. He would tell her everything and then hope she could still love him.

"Would you like some wine?" Molly asked.

"Sounds good," Jack answered. He watched while Molly opened the bottle and poured. "You know, I've been thinking about the ranch we looked at."

"Have you found a buyer?"

"I think so," he said as he looked anxiously about.

"Really?" Molly looked up somewhat surprised. "That's great. Who's interested?"

"I am," Jack said so softly as to be almost imperceptible.

Molly stopped what she was doing. "You are?"

"Yeah, I am," Jack repeated as he took a wine glass from Molly. "It's a great place, Molly. Plenty of room, nice house. It needs some work, but I can do that. I've wanted my own place. This is my chance."

Molly stared at him not sure whether to be happy or not. "So you're leaving? Does my dad know?"

"I talked to him today. He wished me luck." Jack paused for a moment and took a breath. "Actually, he wished _us_ luck." He reached into his pocket and withdrew the ring box. Molly's eyes flicked back and forth from Jack's face to the box in his hand. She said nothing.

Jack took Molly's wine glass fro her hand and set it down. Then he opened the ring box and removed the ring. Tears were already forming in Molly's eyes as Jack took the ring and slipped it onto her finger.

"The thing is, Molly," Jack swallowed nervously. "I don't want you to be a ranch _manager's _wife. I want you to be the ranch _owner's_ wife."

Molly looked at the ring and threw her arms around Jack's neck. "Oh, Jeff!" she cried. "I don't know what to say. I love you so much!"

Jack stiffened a bit. He eased her arms from around his body and held both of her hands in his. The rest of this wasn't going to be so easy. "I'm hoping that you'll say 'yes', but before you make a decision, Molly, there's a lot we need to talk about." Jack led her to the desk where her computer sat. "I've told you some things about my past, but it's time for you to know everything."

Molly turned to face him and stopped their forward progress. "What are you talking about? I know about your wife and your daughter. I know about your heroin addiction. I've told you; those don't matter to me. They're in the past. I love you."

"Sweetheart, my wife, my daughter, the heroin, that all just scratches the surface. There's more that you need to know that you might not like."

He leaned over and typed in a web address. Molly was surprised to see a picture of him appear on the screen. She looked at him and back at the screen. "Molly, my name isn't 'Jeff McCarthy'. It's Jack Bauer. I think this will be easier to understand if you read this. When you're finished, I'll fill in any details that you want to know."

She turned away from him and sat down without saying a word, quite obviously stunned by Jack's revelation, and began to read an LA Times article from a few years earlier. The headline was in bold print.

**SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, LONG TIME CIA AGENT KILLED IN TERRORIST ATTACK**

Jack stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. His eyes closed, he prayed fervently that Molly would still love him when this night was over. Jack Bauer, despite his solitary, lone soldier image, was a man who needed to love and be loved. But at the same time, who he was and what he did made him hard to love.

Years ago when Teri asked him to leave, the shock of suddenly having no one to love sent him reeling. Nina had conveniently been there to catch him and fill in the void. Later with Teri dead, his life spiraled out of control until he met Kate Warner. Jack was Kate's knight in shining armor. She loved him for who he was not in spite of it as Teri had. Breaking up with Kate, he had always told himself was for her own good, but it nearly killed him. Again with no one to love, this time he found relief in heroin. The habit had started before he left Kate, but it escalated after the dissolution of their relationship. Finally he met Audrey, but it was in another place, another time, far away from CTU. The Jack Bauer she loved wasn't real and when she was forced to meet the real Jack Bauer she didn't love him. Jack remembered that night at CTU when his heart was ripped to shreds and he wondered how he would go on. Only this time he didn't have a chance to dwell on it. The call he received from David Palmer changed his life and set into motion a series of events that meant an end to Jack Bauer and a new life for Jeff McCarthy.

Now that Molly knew the truth, could she, unlike Audrey, still love him? He massaged her shoulders lightly as if trying to knead his love under her skin so that it couldn't escape, so that she could feel it in the depths of her soul. He watched her reading the computer monitor before her. She was absently playing with the engagement ring, twisting it around her finger. Occasionally she would stop reading for a second and look down at it. She would move it just a fraction on an inch so that the light caught it just right. Jack feared that she was about to take if off.

"Leave it alone," he prayed over and over. "Please, baby, leave it alone."


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay, yeah, right, I said this would be the last chapter but I was wrong. Like Chapter 5, this chapter was just getting too long and unmanageable and was covering too many subjects, so, yes, I decided once again to split the chapter into two. Actually, my biggest reason for making two chapters instead of one was that AlmeidaFluff threatened to fire me when I finished this chapter so I decided to call her bluff and write another one!_

_So, here's chapter 6. Chapter 7 (I'm very, very sure that will be the last one) will be out shortly!_

Chapter 6

Molly sat in front of her computer stunned at what she was reading. She looked down at her new engagement ring, the one that the love of her life, Jeffrey McCarthy, had just placed on her finger. For an instant when he placed it there, the images that flashed through her mind were ones of a small wedding and life on their own little ranch, of making love and having children. She was just about to say "Yes, of course I'll marry you. I've never loved anyone so much in my life. You're what I've been waiting for." And then she imagined that he would kiss her and sweep her off of her feet and carry her to her bed, to their bed. To that place that belonged to just the two of them; where their lives and hearts and souls and bodies met and became one.

Instead she was sitting at the computer trying to make sense of what was happening to her and who this man that she loved so dearly really was. She read the words of the old newspaper article over and over trying desperately to understand.

Los Angeles, CA – John A. "Jack" Bauer, Jr., special assistant to Secretary of Defense James Heller and a former CIA agent, was killed yesterday in the terrorist attack on Los Angeles. Bauer, who is best remembered for saving then Senator David Palmer from two assassination attempts on the day of the California presidential primary, was killed in the line of duty according to the Associate Special Agent in Charge, Bill Buchanan.

Buchanan went on to say that Bauer was "directly responsible for rescuing the Secretary of Defense and his daughter who were kidnapped early yesterday morning. Additionally, he was largely responsible for apprehending Habib Marwan, the mastermind of yesterday's attacks, an act that led to the discovery of the missing warhead and its neutralization.

"Jack Bauer was a hero in every sense of the word. He was a public servant for many years and he gave his life for this country. Every citizen owes Jack Bauer a huge debt of gratitude," Buchanan told reporters.

Molly swallowed hard. She felt Jack's hands massaging her shoulders. She wanted to stop reading, not sure that she wanted to know any more. She wanted to go back in time just a few minutes to when he, Jeff or Jack or whoever he was, put the ring on her finger. She wanted to freeze that moment in time. As much as she didn't want to read further, she knew that she had to.

Bauer had a distinguished career with the CIA's counter terrorist unit (CTU) where he served as Director for several years. He was in that position on the day that he saved President Palmer's life while, at the same time, the attempted assassins were also holding Bauer's wife and daughter hostage. Bauer's daughter escaped unharmed, but his wife was murdered by a double agent using the name "Nina Myers", who had infiltrated CTU and served as Bauer's second in command. "Myers" actual identity has never been determined. Bauer shot and killed her nearly five years later while she was attempting to escape custody. The shooting was ruled "justified" by a CTU review commission; however _The Times'_ request for the transcript of the commission's hearing was denied.

When the terrorist group "Second Wave" attempted to detonate a nuclear warhead in LA, it was Bauer who headed up the search for the bomb. He nearly died that day when he volunteered to fly the suicide mission to safely detonate the bomb in the desert. A last minute change in pilot allowed Bauer to parachute to safety.

"Jack Bauer selflessly gave himself for his country. More than once he put himself in harm's way without ever thinking of his own safety. I've never worked with anyone more dedicated to this country," said Bauer's long time friend and co-worker, Tony Almeida. "I doubt that this agency the CIA will ever find another agent like him and I doubt that I will ever find another friend like him."

Bauer was also the lead agent in several other high profile cases including the CIA's infiltration of the Salazar drug cartel. More recently he left the CIA for a position with the Secretary of Defense.

Bauer is survived by his daughter, Kimberly Edmunds, and his father, John A. Bauer, Sr. A private memorial service for family and close friends will be held Saturday at an undisclosed location. Former President David Palmer and Secretary Heller are among the dignitaries that are expected to attend.

Molly closed her eyes not sure what to say or do. This was something out of a movie or a bad novel, one she wouldn't have wasted the time reading. Now it was happening to her. She gathered her strength and stood up to face him. Their eyes met.

"So," she started hesitantly, "do I call you Jeff or Jack?"

"Molly, Jack Bauer is dead. You just read that. There are only a couple of people in the world that know I'm alive. Jeff McCarthy is who I am now. He is very much alive and very much in love with you and praying that you won't stop loving him."

"You love me? You lied to me!" she cried as she pulled away. "I gave you my heart and my body and you lied to me!"

"No, Molly, I didn't lie to you," he said as he reached for her arm and pulled to back to face him. "I didn't lie. I just never told you the truth. Maybe that's the same thing. If it is, then I'm sorry. I wanted to forget who I was. I wanted to think that it didn't matter, but it does. You need to know who I am and what I've been through if we're going to have a really good, solid marriage. And that's what I want more than anything in the world. I never wanted to hurt you, Molly. I know how badly you were hurt in the past and I never wanted to do that to you."

"How did you get here? Did the CIA plant you here?"

"No, there's only one person still working for the CIA that even knows I'm alive. She's a computer analyst that helped me escape. I found this place on my own. I was looking for a way to restart my life and I got lucky. I found your father and the ranch and you."

"Does my father know?"

"Yes."

"You told him but you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't tell him, Molly. He figured it out. You have to understand that when anyone finds out who I am, it puts me at risk. The Chinese and US governments both want me and, in truth, they both want me dead. If they find out that I'm alive I'll go to a Chinese prison unless the Secret Service gets a hold of me first. The people who helped me escape will go to prison, too, so my freedom isn't the only one at stake here."

Molly sat down on the sofa trying calm herself down. She deliberately slowed her breathing and could feel her heart beat follow suit. "I need to understand all of this and I don't know where to start. Why do the US and Chinese governments want you dead?"

"What I'm going to tell you is classified information. The US government will deny it all the way up to the President. If anyone suspects that you know this information, your life will be in danger, so everything I'm telling you must be kept a secret for your safety. Even your father doesn't know the details of what happened." Jack stopped for a moment and looked away as if trying to see into the past. "I was given an order by the White House to carry out a mission at the Chinese Embassy. It was an illegal order and I knew it. I knew that if I was caught that the President would deny giving the order. I also knew that if I was caught I would be considered a criminal by the Chinese government and would probably be tortured and hanged." Jack went on to tell Molly what happened to the point where Tony and Michelle dropped him off at the rail yard and he hopped a freighter north to Canada. Her green eyes grew wide as she listened to the tale.

"So what this boils down to is that you followed an order and when it was discovered, you were expected to just give yourself up and not care about the consequences to you?" Molly asked incredulously.

"Basically, yes. I knew the risk I was taking when I accepted the order. I could have refused, but it was the only way I knew to get the man who I believed had information that could save millions of American lives. Given the choice, I would do the same thing again, Molly."

"Do your daughter and your father know that you're alive?"

"I contacted one of the people who helped me escape. He was supposed to contact Kim. The message I sent him was basically one sided. He had no way to respond. I have to assume that he contacted Kim for me. The only way my father would know is if Kim told him. The person who contacted Kim would have instructed her not to do so. Kim would have understood the gravity of the situation. I doubt that she would have told her grandfather."

"You've never contacted your daughter yourself?"

"It was too risky. If anyone from either government is watching her and thinks that she had contact with me, they'll torture her for information and to draw me out into the open. Their gripe is with me and I'll go willingly if I have to, but I don't want anyone that I love getting hurt in the process." Jack paused for a moment. "That means you, too, Molly. I hate telling you this. I hate it that you have to know the truth, but I have to tell you." He sighed and walked away to look out the window. "I tried so hard not to fall in love with you. I wanted you to find someone else and move away so I didn't have to see you, but it didn't work. I can't stop loving you, Molly."

"Why didn't you tell me that your wife was murdered?" Molly asked quietly after several minutes of silence.

"I told you she was killed. I just didn't tell you how. If I had, you would have asked questions. The truth is that I couldn't tell you without telling you everything. And," he added softly, "even though it's been a long time, I hate talking about it. Teri died because of who I was. I've never forgiven myself for that."

Jack turned toward the window as if he were looking at the street below, but in fact he wasn't. He was watching Molly's reflection in the glass. He could see her every move. He watched her pick up her wine glass and take a sip. She played with the glass for a moment before setting it down. He watched her stand up and straighten the pillows on the sofa. She strolled absently over to his coat which he had draped over a chair when they walked into the apartment. He watched her pick up the coat and hold it. He thought for sure that she was going to give it to him and ask him to leave but she must have thought better of it. She refolded the coat and laid it back where it had been. Jack exhaled silently in relief and continued to watch as Molly walked toward him. He closed his eyes, still facing the window. The tears that had formed slipped slowly down over his cheeks. Molly wrapped her arms around him and rested her body against his back. Jack covered her hands with his and they stood unmoving and silent.

"Maybe I should make some coffee," Molly said softly finally breaking the silence. "I think we're going to have a long night ahead of us. We have a lot to talk about."

Jack turned and pulled Molly into his arms. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for being willing to listen to me. God, I love you, Molly." He was crying openly with no desire to hide his emotions from her.

Molly stoked his back and let him cry. As his quiet sobs subsided, she reached up and wiped his tears with her fingertips. "Sit down," she said still numb from all that had happened. "I'll make that coffee."

Jack and Molly talked long into the night. He told her everything about Jack Bauer starting with where he was born and ending with his arrival on her father's ranch.

Molly's emotions had run the gamut over the last few hours. Her initial elation over Jack's proposal had quickly turned to horror as she learned that she really didn't know this man at all. As she read the newspaper account of his life and death, she became angry that he had kept it all a secret from her. Listening to him recount his wife's murder at the hands of his trusted co-worker and, admittedly, his former lover had simply broken her heart. She ached as he told her how he had descended into the depths of his heroin addiction. By the end, she was actually happy to know the truth. She had often wondered about his family and his childhood. When she asked questions, his answers were vague. So she had stopped asking and hoped that some day he would open up to her. Well, the time had come. He had opened up to her. It wasn't quite what she wanted to hear or what she expected, but at least she had the truth and that was a relief.

By the end of the story they were huddled together on the sofa resting against each other. Molly had been silent most of the time, giving Jack the chance to tell he the story at his own speed, providing whatever details he thought important. The story complete, Jack kissed the top of Molly's head, shifted her weight off of him and stood up. "I better let you get some sleep. I know you're tired."

Molly, still seated, reached for Jack's hand and drew it to her lips kissing it gently. "You think you're going to tell me a bedtime story like that one and then you're going to leave? I'll have nightmares." She smiled softly up at him. They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment. "When you gave me the ring, I had this quick fantasy that after I said 'yes' that you would carry me off to bed."

He stroked her cheek with the tip of one of his fingers. "You never said 'yes'," Jack whispered.

Molly stood and looked intently into his eyes. "Yes," she said softly, her lips slowly turning upward into a smile.

Jack held her face in his hands. "Really? Are you sure about this?" he asked her daring to hope that he had heard her right.

"Positive. I love you. I don't like that you've kept all of this from me for so long, but I understand why you have."

Jack was speechless. He couldn't believe that he was off the hook that easily. He couldn't believe that she still loved him. They stood smiling at each other for a moment before their lips met for a long, intense kiss. Jack picked Molly up cradling her in his arms.

"So tell me, in that fantasy of yours, is this how I carried you to the bedroom?" he asked her in a low, seductive voice.

"Exactly," Molly answered turning her face upward to him.

Jack kissed her neck and took the first steps toward the bedroom. "And then what did we do?"

"I didn't get that far. You interrupted my fantasy to tell me the story of your life."

"Oh, then I guess we'll have to make up the rest as we go along," he said softly as he set her feet down on the floor in the bedroom. "I think I can supply the details from one of my own fantasies if that's alright with you."

"That depends," Molly told him. "What does your fantasy entail?"

"You let me do all of the work while you just enjoy yourself."

"I like that fantasy," she said kissing him tenderly.

Jack's tie and jacket had long since been tossed on chairs in the living room and the top button on his shirt was unbuttoned. Molly reached for the next button and began unbuttoning it.

"No," Jack whispered as he took her hands away. "I told you; I'm doing all of the work. Your job is to enjoy it."

Jack slowly, methodically undressed her and laid her on the bed. Next he undressed himself. Again, it was slow and methodical and Molly could feel her body tensing with excitement. It seemed forever before Jack got into the bed with her. She reached out for him, but he grabbed her wrists and pinned them gently above her head. He proceeded to kiss her face and neck as he teased her by lightly grazing his body against hers. Molly panted and writhed beneath him.

Molly lost all track of time and had long since forgotten how many times Jack brought her to a stunning climax. The sun was just beginning to rise and they both lay uncovered on the bed, sweating and gasping for breath. Jack seemed to catch his breath first. He propped himself up on his elbow and stroked Molly's face.

"Are you ready for a shower?" he asked.

"I'm too tired," she said her eyes drifting closed. "What did you do to me? That was incredible." Random thoughts were flitting through her mind. There were bits and pieces of last night's conversation and moments from their intense love-making. None of it fit together but it all made her smile.

"Too tired for a shower?" Jack queried. "Okay, you just lie still," Jack told her.

Molly didn't even open her eyes, but she felt Jack getting out of bed. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back," he assured her.

Molly listened as Jack padded barefoot into the bathroom. She heard water running in the sink. Jack returned to the bed with a warm washcloth and a towel. He proceeded to wash her face and neck and then towel them dry. Molly moaned weakly.

"You like that?"

"Uh-huh." The sound slipped from between partially opened lips.

"Good. Just lie still." Jack tenderly washed her body from head to toe, turning her over to wash both front and back. Molly mewed like a kitten, completely relaxed and enjoying the attention that was being paid her. When Jack finished, he pulled the bedclothes up from the floor where they had kicked them hours earlier and tucked them carefully around Molly and himself. The two exhausted lovers kissed "good night" at 6:30 in the morning and lay wrapped in each other's arms.

"Jeff?" Molly whispered, her voice soft and sleepy.

"Hmmm," Jack responded to let her know that he was still awake.

"Will you tell your daughter about us?"

"I don't really have a safe way of contacting her right now. I'll make contact again with Tony Almeida at some point. When I do, he'll contact Kim."

"It feels weird. I'll have a step-daughter that I've never met. I've never even seen a picture of her."

"I'm sorry, baby. I just can't take the risk of contacting Kim right now."

"How do you think she'd feel if she knew that you were getting married again?"

"She'd be happy about it," Jack said confidently.

"How do you know that?" Molly asked suddenly very awake and looking at him.

"I know my daughter. After Teri died, Kim and I had a pretty stormy relationship for a while. Eventually we got it back on track. I started dating a woman named Kate Warner. I was worried about how Kim would take it, but she and Kate got along fine. She and Kim became friends. They probably still are. After I broke up with Kate and started working for Jim Heller, I started dating his daughter, Audrey."

"So sleeping with your boss' daughter is nothing new to you?" Molly interrupted.

Jack smiled. "She wasn't as good as you," he laughed as he kissed her. He continued his previous thought, "Anyway, I knew when I was dating Audrey that Kim didn't really care for her. She was a little hard to warm up to. But at the same time, Kim didn't say a word. She accepted Audrey. Somewhere along the line, Kim made the decision that as long as I was happy, she was happy, too. I feel the same way about her. She ended up marrying my partner. I thought she was too young and I thought they should wait a couple of years, but I didn't interfere. And the last I saw them, they were very happy and doing very well." He kissed her again. "So don't worry about Kim. Someday, when I'm sure that it's safe, you'll get to meet her."

Satisfied with his answer, Molly curled up against him and allowed herself to fall asleep. Jack stroked her back gently for a few minutes marveling at how soft and smooth her skin was. He lay on his back, the early morning sun shining through the curtains making orange streaks on the wall opposite him, thinking how good it felt just to lay there. Molly sighed in her sleep and he kissed her forehead and closed his eyes.

Jack and Molly were married in a quiet ceremony a few weeks later. They hadn't planned on a honeymoon but Ted would hear none of it. As part of his wedding gift, he gave them at trip to Niagara Falls.

Molly laughed as he handed her the airline tickets and other travel documents. "Niagara Falls in the dead of winter? You couldn't come up with some place warm," she said as she kissed her father.

"Niagara Falls is beautiful in winter. That's where your mother and I went on our honeymoon and we were married in February, too. Your brother was born nine months later."

"Oh, so that's what this is all about!" Molly laughed.

"My buddy Joe just had his ninth grandchild and I only have five. I'm just trying to keep up," Ted said now laughing, too.

Molly hugged and kissed him one more time. "I love you, Daddy. Thanks for everything. I better go pack or we'll miss that flight."

"What is there to pack? You're going on your honeymoon. Stuff some lingerie in an overnight bag and go. You don't need a lot of clothes, honey."

"You are incorrigible!" Molly told him as she walked away shaking her head.

"Ted, thank you for everything," Jack said as he hugged his new father-in-law. "When you had enough faith in me to give me a job, what you really did was give me a second chance at life. I never imagined that it would turn out this good. I can't ever thank you enough."

"You've thanked me more than enough. You've made my daughter happy. That's all the thanks I need. You have a daughter; I'm sure you understand."

Jack nodded knowingly. "All I've ever really wanted is for my daughter to be happy. I understand how you feel. I promise, Ted, I won't let you down. I'll do everything in my power to make Molly happy."

"I know you will, son," Ted said confidently as he patted Jack on the back. "Now go help Molly pack. You want to make sure she takes all of your favorite lingerie."

"Molly's right; you are incorrigible!" Jack laughed. He walked back to the house thinking about the day and how happy it made him to say "I do." He thought about Molly upstairs packing lingerie and the trip to Niagara Falls. He thought about their lives and their future together. And it all made him smile.


	7. Chapter 7

_Here it is, the last chapter. Thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed. If you haven't reviewed, I'll beg one final time! Please take a second and let me know what you think._

Chapter 7

Jack and Molly came home from a romantic week in Niagara Falls and moved to their new ranch. Winter proved the perfect time to move in. It gave Jack time to make repairs to the barn and stable before the busy spring season. Molly took a job at a hospital a few miles away. She would work there in the winter to help pay the bills until the ranch started turning a profit. She would take a leave in the summer to help Jack on the ranch. On her days off, she worked on decorating the house, painting the kitchen and their bedroom first.

It didn't take them long to realize that they loved being married. Even the mundane daily chores seemed less banal and repetitive. Neither could explain it, but overall their days were just happier. And they fended off the cold Canadian nights curled up in bed together talking about their day or snuggling or making love. They had been lovers now for over a year, but their love was still new and exciting. Molly was constantly amazed that Jack could make her feel the way he did. He was the most wonderful lover she could have ever imagined. Jack felt the same way about Molly. Her every touch seemed to raise his level of excitement to new heights.

Spring and summer were on them before they knew it and they worked from dawn until dusk. Things were going about as well as they could have hoped and both were more than satisfied with the progress they were making putting the property back into good shape for future seasons. In the mean time, they were raising pigs and a small herd of sheep to cover their expenses for the year.

August had been hotter and more humid than usual that year and they had had more than their fair share of thunderstorms. A warm, muggy breeze wafted through their open bedroom window followed by a clap of thunder rumbling in the distance. Jack rolled over and stretched. _Storms again, _he thought. He knew that meant that he needed to get up and get chores done before the rain came. He didn't mind the cold, but he hated working in the rain.

Jack rolled over and reached for Molly as he did every morning, but today his hand was met with an empty pillow. He opened his eyes and looked around the room.

"Molly?" he said quietly. It wasn't like her to get up before him. She hated getting up in the morning if he was still in bed.

Jack got up and pulled on a pair of jeans and walked out into the hallway. He glanced into an empty bedroom. Molly stood at the opposite wall looking around the room like she had never seen it before.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" Jack asked as he entered the room. He went to her and took her in his arms and kissed her.

"I'm just deciding what color I want to paint the room," she answered matter-of-factly.

"At 5 o'clock in the morning?"

"Yeah, I can't decide if we should make it pink or blue or maybe we should go with a more neutral color like green or yellow."

Jack pushed Molly back gently by her shoulders so that he could look at her face. She was smiling impishly, her eyes dancing in the morning sun.

"Are we…," he stuttered. "I mean, are you…"

Molly was laughing and nodding. "I think the word you're looking for is 'pregnant'."

Morning chores and rain suddenly forgotten, Jack and Molly were soon back in bed making love intensely as if that would somehow seal the deal. Months later Jack anxiously sat with Molly in the delivery room feeling utterly useless. He was so different now than the scared 20 year old who had witnessed his daughter's birth, but in many ways it was as difficult to watch the second time as it had been the first. He hated seeing Molly in so much pain. And the responsibility of raising a child seemed no less daunting than it had all those years ago, although he knew that he was so much more ready for it this time.

"How many babies have I helped deliver?" Molly asked Jack rhetorically between contractions. "Believe me, this is a whole lot easier when you're the nurse and not the patient." She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to breathe through the next contraction.

"You're doing great, baby. You're almost there. The doctor said just a little while longer," Jack cooed encouragingly as he wiped her face with a cool cloth. He wished that he felt as sure as he sounded.

Jack clung to Molly while she pushed and the two were soon rewarded with a beautiful son. Molly allowed herself to relax into Jack's arms and watch while the screaming baby was cleaned up and weighed and finally placed in her arms. They both cried as they held their son for the first time. They named him David, in honor of President David Palmer.

Ted had been pacing the waiting room almost continuously for nine hours when Jack finally came to the room to tell him the good news. He was beside himself with joy. He practically walked on air as Jack led him back to see Molly and the baby.

David's birth was followed two years later by that of a second son, Anthony (who was, of course, nicknamed Tony). After the birth of each child, Jack slipped a picture of Molly with the new baby into a card and sent it to Tony. The envelope had no return address and the card wasn't signed. On the reverse of the picture, Jack simply wrote Molly's and the baby's names. He knew that Tony would recognize his block printing. Tony would, in turn, forward the pictures to Kim.

The boys grew up under the watchful eyes of their parents and a doting grandfather who loved nothing more than to spoil them. Ted continued to live on his ranch for another few years before moving in with Jack and Molly and their sons. Ted, Jr.'s oldest son, Troy, had been running Ted's ranch for a few years and was at a point of being able to take over the helm completely. Ted decided that, although he was welcome to remain on the ranch with Troy and his new wife, he was more comfortable with Jack and Molly, so he moved in with them. He remained vibrant well into his 80's frequently taking his horse out into the field to help Jack with some of the less physical work. It was lunchtime one summer day and Ted was walking from the barn to the house with David. Jack and Tony were several yards ahead of them.

"I wonder what Mom is making for lunch?" David pondered. "I'm really hungry."

"Really? I'm not hungry at all. It must be the heat," Ted told him. He sounded tired.

"It's not that hot, Grandpa," David said looking surprised. His grandfather never complained about the weather regardless of how hot or cold it was.

Ted pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped the sweat from his face. He stopped to try and catch his breath.

"Are you okay, Grandpa?" David asked. He could see the color draining from Ted's face. "Maybe you'll feel better when we get in the house."

Jack noticed that Ted and David were lagging behind and turned to see why they were stopping. Even at a distance he knew something was wrong. "Tony, go get your mother. We need her right now," he said urgently as he ran toward his father-in-law. "Ted, what's wrong?"

"I'm having… trouble … breathing," Ted said haltingly as he gasped for air.

Jack put an arm around Ted's waist. "Let's get you into the house," he said as Ted allowed much of his weight to rest against his son-in-law.

Jack looked up and caught sight of Molly running down the porch steps and toward the barn. "Daddy, what's wrong?" she asked as she reached him. She helped Jack lead him into the house and they lowered him onto the sofa. Molly took his pulse and counted his respirations. "Your heart is racing," she said. "Jeff, call an ambulance."

"No!" Ted said emphatically. "No…ambulance." He was breathing a little better now that he was sitting down but was still very short of breath.

"Daddy, you need to go to a hospital. You're probably having a heart attack. We can't do anything for you here at home. You could die here."

"Molly," he whispered as he reached for her hand. "I'm an old man." He stopped speaking to get his breath. His grip on Molly's hand was suddenly very weak. He tugged on it gently to signal her to come closer. Molly dropped to her knees next to the sofa. "I miss your mother. Don't take me to the hospital." He stopped again. "Just sit here and be with me. I just want… my family to be… with me." Ted struggled to breathe as he spoke and Molly loosened his collar in hopes that it would make him more comfortable.

Jack ran back into the room. "The ambulance is on the way. They'll be here in a few minutes."

"I'm not… going," Ted panted. "They'll just keep… me alive with… machines. I don't want…that. I've had…a great run. I love you, Molly. You were…the greatest…gift that God … could have given me. I never would have…made it after your…mother died…without you."

"Daddy, I'm the reason that Mother died. If she hadn't had me, she never would have gotten sick." Tears streaked her face.

"Don't ever… say that." Ted admonished her as sternly as he could while having difficulty breathing. "Don't even… think that. You weren't… to blame, Molly. God had…a plan…for your mom…for our family. I never… understood it… but I learned…to live with it. Tell your brothers…that I love them…and their families. I know…I was too…hard on them. I hope…they can…forgive me."

"Daddy," Molly whispered through her tears, "try not to talk. The ambulance will be here soon. Are you in any pain?" Jack was kneeling behind her with his hands on her shoulders. David and Tony stood back a few feet alternately watching for the ambulance and keeping an eye on the life drama being played out in front of them.

Ted shook his head and smiled softly at her. "I'm tired, Molly. I think… I'll just close…my eyes."

Molly watched her father. His breathing eased and he started to relax. She felt his already weak grip lighten further until the hand was flaccid. "Daddy," she whispered through a quivering voice. "Oh, Daddy!" she said again as she felt for a pulse. She could hear the scream of the ambulance siren as she lowered her head onto his chest and cried.

Jack closed his eyes not ready to believe that Ted, his father-in-law, but more realistically, his adoptive father, his mentor, a man who had truly given him another chance to live, was dead. In many ways Jack grieved more deeply than Molly. A few days later, he stood numbly next to his wife and children and the rest of Molly's family at the cemetery and watched as the casket was lowered into the ground, filled with a deep sense of loss.

Molly rolled over in bed that night and stretched an arm toward Jack's side of the bed. She wanted to be close to him. Losing her father, the only parent she had ever known, made her long for Jack's comforting warmth. As she reached out for him, Molly realized that he wasn't in bed and the attached bathroom was empty and dark.

Molly got up and glanced into both of the boys' rooms first. Not finding Jack there, she went downstairs. "Jeff," she called quietly so as not to disturb his sleeping sons. "Honey, where are you?"

"Out here, babe," he called back.

Molly turned and saw the front door was open. "What are you doing sitting on the front porch?" she asked as she stepped outside.

Jack sat on the porch swing. The air was warm and pleasant and the stars and moon were bright. Jack moved the swing slowly back and forth.

Molly stood on the porch steps looking up at the sky. "Do you think he's watching us?"

"I know he is," Jack assured her.

"I miss him."

"Me, too."

"He could be exasperating as hell sometimes," Molly laughed.

"But he was a great guy. He loved you more than anything."

"I loved him, too."

"Molly, I've been thinking…" Jack started not sure how to complete the sentence. "Since Ted died, I have this overwhelming feeling…I don't know how to describe it. I can't explain it. I need to see my daughter."

Molly sat down next to him on the swing. "Jeff, we've talked about this. I told you before, whenever you decided that you were ready and it's safe, you can get in touch with Kim. Do you have any idea how you're going to contact her?"

"I can't imagine that anyone is watching her that closely anymore. I think at this point that it's safe to send an email from a neutral location. I don't want the message originating from our computer. I can probably use a computer at a library or an internet café."

"Are you going to ask her to meet you somewhere?"

"I was thinking about that resort that we stayed at a few years ago."

"You mean the one that Daddy gave us the trip to because he wanted me to get pregnant again?"

They both laughed. Ted was often less than subtle and he made no bones about the fact that he wanted another granddaughter. He had been disappointed when Jack and Molly told him that they were quite satisfied with two sons and had stopped trying to have more children. He gave them a vacation at what he considered to be a "romantic" resort to try and convince them otherwise. Rustic described the resort far more than romantic did but Jack and Molly enjoyed themselves nonetheless. It still didn't convince them to have a third child. Although Molly would have readily agreed, Jack used the excuse that he was getting to old to become a father again. In truth, he would have loved another child as much as Molly would have, but an underlying and, he knew, irrational fear gripped him and he couldn't shake it. Molly's mother had two sons first, just like Molly had, and then died after the birth of a third child. Jack was terrified that history could repeat itself. He knew that medicine had advanced far from when Mary Anderson died, but he couldn't convince himself that it was safe for them to have another baby.

"That's the one," Jack said nodding.

"Are you going alone, or do you want all of us to go?"

"I'm not sure the boys are ready to know this story yet."

"They know you have a daughter from a previous marriage and that you were widowed. Why can't they meet her?" Molly queried.

"In order for them to meet Kim, they need to know the whole story. I'll tell them someday, but not now. When I was their age, if someone told me that my father had been a CIA agent and now was wanted by two governments, I would have wanted to tell all of my friends. That's pretty heady stuff for a twelve year old and a ten year old. I can't tell them the story and then say, 'You can't tell anyone.' They need to be older, Molly. They need to understand that if they blow my cover, I'm going to prison."

Molly cringed at the mere thought. Jack's cover had been good for so long that she wouldn't do anything to risk it.

Jack continued. "I'd like you to be with me. I was hoping that we could find someone to watch the kids for a few days. We haven't had any time alone in years. It won't look suspicious."

Molly agreed to the plan and Jack sent an email to Kim. Basically, he asked that she and Chase meet him at the resort. He waited until the summer vacation season was over and made reservations in September for two private cottages nestled in a secluded part of the resort.

Kim and Chase arrived from Los Angeles around noon. The email that she had received from her father said to expect them around three o'clock. Kim nervously unpacked clothes from her suitcase into drawers and then rearranged them as if she was going to stay for months instead of days.

"Kim, calm down," Chase implored her. "Everything's going to be fine."

"I haven't seen him in 15 years, Chase. I though he was dead for the first 18 months. What are we going to say to each other?"

Chase put his arms around her. "You're going to tell him that you love him and you missed him and he's going to do the same thing. Then you're going to catch up on all that's happened. You talk about our kids, he talks about his. It's going to be fine."

The light knock on the door startled both of them. Kim stood frozen in place.

"Do you want me to answer it?" Chase asked.

Kim nodded unable to speak. She watched Chase turn and go for the door.

"No, Chase. Stop. I should answer it," she said edging Chase out of the way. Kim stepped in front of the door and drew a deep breath as she opened it.

Jack stood in the doorway, just as nervous as Kim. He was playing with the zipper on his jacket when she opened the door.

"Oh, Daddy! It's so good to see you" she cried as tears streaked her face. As Kim had grown up, she had only rarely referred to her father as "Daddy". It was usually when she was scared or upset. Right now it seemed perfectly appropriate.

Jack pulled her forcefully into his arms into a hug so strong that in nearly hurt. "Sweetheart," was all he could manage before breaking down.

Chase and Molly stood awkwardly behind their spouses not sure where to look and feeling a bit guilty about being a part of such an intense and personal reunion. Chase seemed to get his bearings first. He stepped toward Molly with his hand extended.

"I'm Chase Edmunds, Kim's husband. You must be Molly."

"It's nice to meet you," she said smiling.

Jack and Kim finally let go of each other. Still teary eyed, Jack reached for Molly. "Sweetheart," he said to Kim, "this is Molly," he paused for a second, "my wife."

"It's so good to finally meet you," Molly told Kim as she hugged her. "You're at a disadvantage here. You know nothing about me, but your father has told me all about you."

"I know everything I need to know about you," Kim said with a smile. "You make my dad happy and that's all that I care about."

The two couples spent most of the next four days together. Jack and Kim talked non-stop long into the nights to catch up on each other's lives. Kim told Jack about his four grandchildren. In addition to Chase's daughter, Angela, the couple had three children of their own. John Bauer Edmunds, who of course they called Jack, was the oldest. He and Angela were joined three years later by a set of twins, Theresa and Cole. Jack suddenly understood why Ted was so enamored with his grandchildren. He hadn't even met Kim's children and he was already in love with them.

Some of their talk centered on how much contact they could safely have. They decided that recent changes in the Chinese government made the Chinese less of a threat to Jack. Although the incident at the embassy had created a firestorm of controversy when it occurred, it appeared that it had been largely forgotten by new the Chinese leadership. Pursuing Jack Bauer was not high on their list of priorities. Chase and Kim still felt that the US government would love to get their hands on Jack. Charles Logan, although no longer president, still had a lot of friends and carried a lot of influence in Washington. According to David Palmer, who maintained a low level of contact with Kim, Logan still felt that the incident at the Chinese embassy was a black mark on his presidency despite the fact that his administration categorically denied any involvement in the raid that left the consulate dead. If Logan could get evidence that Jack was alive, he would find a way to get revenge. Kim was probably safe since she had no involvement in his disappearance, but Tony, Michelle and Chloe could all be targets of an investigation and possible legal action.

By the same token, Kim and Chase also felt that no one in the government or Secret Service was currently assigned the task of finding evidence against Jack. If it became obvious that he was alive, action would be taken against him and his co-conspirators. As long as Jack stayed out of the US and maintained his cover in Canada, he and Kim could safely meet on occasion and could correspond using a secure internet site. Kim could easily set up the site and planned to do so as soon as she got back to California.

The days passed quickly and Kim and Jack too soon found themselves saying tearful goodbyes. Jack and Molly watched as Kim and Chase drove away. They stared down the road long after the car was out of sight, then finally turned and walked hand in hand toward their cottage.

"You going to be alright?" Molly asked as she squeezed his hand.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take walk."

"Do you want company?"

"Not right now, Molly. I'd like to be alone for a little while."

Molly nodded. She understood but was still a little worried about him as she watched him take one of the scenic footpaths that wound around the resort. She sighed and went inside the cottage to read a book and wait for Jack's return.

Jack strolled back onto the patio about an hour later. Molly saw him through the window. He sat down on a wrought iron love seat that was bathed in the midday sun. Her first instinct was to go to him, but she decided to give him a little more time. If he wanted to be with her, he would have come in the cottage looking for her. She tried to read but found herself staring out the window at him. He was still so handsome; easily as handsome as the day she met him. True, he had a few more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and his temples were a little grayer, but he still cut a handsome figure and his warm eyes and kind smile frequently made younger women turn their heads.

After watching him sit alone for fifteen or twenty minutes, Molly decided to join him. She walked out onto the patio and came up behind him.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she put her hands on his shoulders.

Jack pulled one of her hands to his mouth and kissed it. "I'm fine," he whispered. "I was worried about how I would react to Kim leaving, but I'm okay. I'm so grateful that I got to see her. And now we have a safe way of communicating. We'll probably see her again in a year or two. For so many years, I tried to close the book on that part of my life. I couldn't forget it, but I tried not to think about it. That was hard and it hurt. Now, it's safe to think about it again. I can think about Kim and know that she's fine and she's happy and she doesn't hate me." He tugged at Molly's hand and she sat down on the arm of the loveseat. "Thank you, Molly, for supporting me through all of this. I'm not sure every woman would have been happy about having to go back and relive my past, but you were there for me every step of the way and I can't thank you enough."

"You don't have to thank me. We support each other. I don't know what I would have done without you when Daddy died. The road goes in both directions, Jeff."

Jack smiled and pulled her down onto his lap and kissed her. It was then that Molly felt something different in his kiss. She couldn't explain it totally. The kiss was intense and passionate but it was somehow less urgent than in the past.

"You know what?" Jack asked. "We have the next 18 hours all to ourselves before we have to go home. No kids, no cows, no interruptions. Just you and me." He kissed her again.

"And what do you propose that we do with those 18 hours, Mr. McCarthy?" Molly asked coyly as she repositioned herself so that she was straddling his lap.

"I have a book I was planning to read," he teased.

"Wrong answer," Molly told him. She put her hand behind his head and pulled his face to hers.

"I like your idea better," Jack said with a soft smile. He touched her face and kissed her then started to work his way down her neck. Again Molly noticed the difference in her husband. He unbuttoned her blouse and carefully peeled it away from her skin. All urgency was gone from his touch. All that was left was the tenderness and passion that had always been a part of their relationship.

Jack took Molly's blouse and bra off and dropped them onto the flagstone patio. She liked the feeling of the warm September sun on her bare breasts. That, in combination with Jack kissing and sucking on them in this new, calmer, more patient manner, left her breathless and begging him for more.

He was happy to oblige. They slowly made their way inside the cottage and to the bedroom leaving a trail of forgotten clothing in their wake. It took them nearly a half hour to reach the bed, and by then, neither had on a stitch of clothing and they were long past foreplay. Molly pushed Jack onto the bed and climbed on top of him. She was surprised to find that he didn't challenge her. He always challenged her for the superior position. It was more of a game than anything else, playful and loving, and she won more often than she lost, but he challenged her nonetheless. Even when she won, she only maintained the position through her own climax. Once she was satisfied and her body relaxed on top of his, Jack always turned them over, penetrated her again and they picked up a new rhythm until he, too, was satisfied.

That afternoon was different. Molly's position on top went unchallenged. She set the pace and together they pounded out a slow, maddening rhythm. Minutes later they were crying out, holding each other, bodies in spasm bucking against each other in one of the most intense orgasms either could ever remember. Molly could never remember Jack being so vocal. He was always quiet during sex at most allowing low, guttural moans to escape from his throat only when he couldn't control himself any more.

Molly lay in Jack's arms reveling in the afterglow of their love, her lips curled into a soft smile and her eyes focused on some distant point. Jack kissed the tip of her nose. "What are you thinking about?"

Jack loved pillow talk. Molly always thought that was funny. He was so serious and so intense most of the time, but lying in bed after sharing his body with her, he seemed more open to share his thoughts and dreams as well.

"Do you remember the first time we made love?" Molly asked.

"Of course I do. How could I ever forget that?" He kissed her again.

"When you asked me to watch the hockey game, did you plan for us to end up in bed?"

"No, not consciously. Subconsciously it was what I wanted from the first time I met you. When I invited you in that night, I fully intended to watch the hockey game and have a couple of drinks. Once I got the first drink under my belt, I guess I got bold. Having you so close to me… well, it excited me. It still does." He kissed her tenderly. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," Molly shrugged. "I've always wondered but I just never really wanted to ask."

"Well as long as we're baring out souls," Jack started. "How close did you come to throwing me out the night that I came clean to you about my past?"

Molly laughed. "Pretty damn close. I picked up your coat and was about to hand it to you."

"What stopped you?"

"I loved you. I loved how you treated me and I loved being with you. I didn't like it that you hadn't confided in me earlier, but you weren't exactly telling me that you were an ax murderer who was wanted in 30 states and 7 countries. You were a government agent with a stellar record whose government had failed you. No matter how angry and upset I was, you deserved to have your story heard. So I decided that I needed to give you the chance."

"Tell me the truth. Have you ever been sorry?" Jack asked.

"Not for a minute. I love you every bit as much, no, I love you more today than I did that night."

Satisfied with her answer, Jack drew Molly a little tighter in his arms. Silently, he thanked God for giving her to him. He remembered something that Ted said just before he died. He said that "God had a plan." Jack remembered his mother saying that when he was young. He never quite believed it and at the nadir of his life, he was sure that if there was a God, that He had no good plan in store for Jack Bauer. Now, looking at his life at this moment, he realized that there truly was a plan. There was a reason for all the bad that had happened. It all was to lead him here to this place, to this woman, to have a family and a life that he could enjoy. All of the pain of the past made the life of Jeff McCarthy so much better than the life of Jack Bauer, but without Jack Bauer, Jeff McCarthy would have no real appreciation for all that he had.

Jack and Molly returned to their life on the ranch. The summer work was waning as fall approached and they readied themselves for winter. Molly watched Jack go about the work of running a ranch and could see a change in him. No one else would have noticed, but then, no one else knew him as well as she did. He was a little more animated, a little less serious than he had been before seeing Kim. She noticed that he seemed to have lightened up on the boys a little bit. He had always been a good, patient father, but he had an intensity about him that made him push the boys a little harder than Molly thought necessary at times. That intensity seemed to have cooled just a degree or two. He seemed calmer, more at peace with himself and she loved it.

Jack and Molly lived out their lives on the ranch. Jack and Kim continued to communicate and to see each other every year or so. Eventually, after the deaths of Charles Logan and most of his cabinet, Jack felt it was safe to contact Tony and Michelle. They enjoyed a long overdue reunion and renewed a friendship that, although interrupted for nearly two decades, picked up easily where it had left off.

The couples continued to meet regularly through the years. They always met in Canada or occasionally in the winter on some warm island. Jack categorically refused to enter the United States. He no longer feared arrest but harbored a deep resentment for the treatment he had received from a country he had spent twenty years protecting and defending.

David and Tony grew up, and like most children, moved away. But it didn't take either one long to realize that their hearts remained on the ranch where they grew up. David became a veterinarian and after years away from home during college and veterinary school, he passed up a chance to join a lucrative practice in Vancouver to return home. He set up practice about 30 miles from his parents' ranch. Tony went to college and majored in criminology. He was a lot like Jack in his youth with an adventurous streak and a strong sense of justice. Several years in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police provided him with enough adventure for a lifetime. With a new wife who was terrified of the prospects of his being hurt or killed in the line of duty, Tony decided that it was time to settle down. He and his wife returned to the ranch and built a home on one of the lesser used corners.

By that time, Jack was ready to relinquish the reins of the ranch to his younger son. He was always nearby to help and spent nearly as many hours on top of a horse as Tony did, but he also enjoyed spending some extra time with Molly and with the seven grandchildren their sons had given them. Kim and her family, which included her own grandchildren, were occasional visitors to the ranch as well.

Jack died in Molly's arms just short of his 86th birthday. His death was sudden and by the time they contacted Kim and she arrived at the ranch, he was gone. She stood next to Molly at the cemetery holding her hand and comforting her as if she were her own mother.

Despite the fact that everyone who knew Jack missed him, it was difficult to grieve for him. He had such an unbelievable life. It was the stuff of adventure novels and feature movies. It was filled with pain and happiness, with devastating loss and incredible joy, with highs and lows with which few could identify or understand. It is so rare to find someone who lives his life fully and in Jack's case, he did it twice.


End file.
